The Search for Avonej
by Neo-Nebula
Summary: Post AC. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are back and have decided after all of they have been through to start over. They ask Big Brother for help and they must search for a way to help them become whole without the help of Mother.
1. Remorse

Hey! How are you? Neo here writting yet another sublime fanfic! This story takes place 3 days after the ending of AC, so spoilers and confusion to those of you not familiar with the movie. I had a dream of this story and just HAD to write and post it! I hope you enjoy it! It may start out somewhat boring, but I think if you can survive it, you will enjoy the rest of it. It is mostly about Yazoo, Cloud, Kadaj, Loz, and Tifa. This is more Yazoo and Cloud, but this chapter is not very Yazooic, so you guys who love him like I do, please hang in there! I PROMISE there is tones of Yazoo in this story coming up!

After the feedback I have received from my other stories, I have tried my best to grow as a writter and I hope I have shown it in this fanfic. Please read and review. Flames welcome, just relax on the cursing; I have sensitive ears. Also, all ideas and suggestions are welcome! If I use one of your ideas that you give to me, I will give you credit!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. If I did, I would be making billions off of a movie or game of this.

_I am now editing this story to make it a bit better and to make it a bit more in-character. I hope you like it better now._

* * *

**The Search for Avonej**

**Chapter 1: Remorse**

As Kadaj opens his eyes, he sees that he is in a small field next to a cottage. Confused, he sits up and leans his head into his hand. In the corner of his vision, he sees Loz and Yazoo lying on the ground peacefully. He crawls up to Loz and shakes him gently.

"Loz. Loz!" he calls, trying to awaken him.

"Huh? Wha?" Loz groans. He sits up as well and joins Kadaj in ponderation. "Hey, um, where are we?"

"Like I know!" Kadaj yells in aggrivation. "The last thing I remember is . . . the rain and Mother's voice," he says, his voice becoming calm.

"Yeah, me too. Then Yazoo and I fought Big Brother and --," he begins, and then immediately pushes roughly on Yazoo's arm. "Yazoo!"

"Ah!" Yazoo yells, jumping up in fright. "Loz, what's the matter!"

"Are you alright! Are you hurt!" Loz yells in panic, instictively grabbing Yazoo by the arms and inspecting them.

"N-no. I feel just fine," Yazoo answers, looking down at himself.

"We've been healed?" Loz asks, examining himself now.

"Mother!" Kadaj exclaims, jumping up to his feet. He then looks down at his brothers happily. "The last thing we heard was Mother's voice, right? Well, she must be here, then!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Loz says, smiling as well as he rises to his feet. "Come on, you two! Let's go find Mother!"

"Do you really think she's here?" Yazoo asks groggily as Loz pulls him to his feet.

"Come on! Let's go!" orders Kadaj impatiently.

Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo hurry over to the front door, but spot a brunnet woman in pink standing in the flower garden nest to the house. Instead of knocking on the door, they slowly walk over to the woman.

"A-are you . . . _**Mother**_?" Kadaj asks, nervous like never before.

"If you want me to be," she replies happily, turning around toward them.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Loz demands, upset with that answer.

"Well, you're _**real**_ mother was an alien being known as Jenova," a tall, muscular man with black spikey hair informs as he walks up from behind them. "She was evil and cruel. She only wanted to use you for her plans, os I doubt you really want to be with her."

"What! How _**dare**_ you!" Kadaj screams. "Mother is _**none **_of those things!"

"Hmph! He obviously knows _**nothing**_ of Mother!" Yazoo adds.

"And what do _**you **_know about her? She wanted to destroy the planet and move on, but what about you? _**You**_ can't live in the same conditions _**she**_ can. She _**used**_ you," the man continues.

"What? But Mother would never --! I mean . . . !" Kadaj argues, but then realizes there is nothing about which to argue; he knows nothing about the one he calls 'Mother'.

"She would have disposed of you for failing," he continues. "If you mother had cared about you, you would be happy with her right now, but she just left you for death out there. You should thank Aerith."

"Who?"

"Me," the woman answers. "Zack and I brought you here to give you another chance at life. You can leave Jenova behind now and do what you wish."

"Do what we wish?' Kadaj asks, glancing back at his brothers. "But, all we've ever wished was to serve Mother."

"Well, I'd rather not serve someone who does not love us," Yazoo says sadly while twiddling with his fingers, fearing what Kadaj may have to say about his comment. "I want . . . to live my own life for once."

"But how can we? We're . . . _**part**_ of her! And we're just remnants of her memetic legacy! We're not even _**whole**_!" Kadaj whines.

"But you can be," Aerith says. The brothers look at her questioningly. "There is a child somewhere in the world you must seek. He will make you whole again."

"A child?" Loz questions.

"Yeah. Go find 'im" Zack suggests. "If you asks around about a child from the Jenova Project, you should be able to find him."

"If you want me to be your mother, then you have to do this before you come back here, okay?" Aerith says mysteriously.

Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo huddle together. "What do you think?" Kadaj asks.

"They seem nice," Loz answers.

"I really want to be whole and have a mother," Yazoo adds.

"Can they be trusted? And another task?" Kadaj questions.

"Um," Loz hums.

"They seem to like us," Yazoo replies.

"I guess we will. It's our only chance," Kadaj decides. They unhuddle and Kadaj walks closer to Aerith. "How do we get to Edge?"

"Over there," Aerith says, pointing to a wooden sign nearby ath says _Edge City_ and has an arrow pointing in the direction of it. "Be careful."

"Thanks," Kadaj says, and then turns to Loz. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, but . . . ," he answers, nodding to Yazoo, who is staring at a butterfly in a flower patch.

"Hey, Yazoo! Let's go already!" Kadaj calls. Yazoo runs over to them quickly. "There's no time to admire dasies! We have to find tha kid!"

"I'm sorry," Yazoo says quietly with his head down. The three of them leave the small field and head towards Edge.

* * *

"Tifa, can Denzel and I please go play in the club house now?" Marlene asks, sitting at the table with her legs swingging in excitement. 

"Are you done with your breakfast already?" Tifa smiles.

"Uh-huh!" she answers, so excited that she can hardly stay in her seat.

"Alright, then. Go ahead."

Marlene and Denzel cheer as they run out of the door to meet with the other orphans. As Tifa walks over to the table to collect their dishes, she hears Cloud walk up behind her. "Where have you been?" she asks, turning toward him. "You missed breakfast!"

"I'm sorry," Cloud apologizes. "It's just . . . I have to talk to Vincent."

"Vincent? What for?" she asks in concern, and then in annoyance asks, "Why can't you talk to me?"

"I keep having these weird dreams. And I feel like this isn't over yet somehow. I want to know if he has any information."

There is a knock at teh door in an unusual pattern, so Cloud and Tifa exchange confused glances. Tifa stays put while Cloud answers the door, afterward seeing that it is Yazoo. Before Yazoo can get out a word, Cloud grabs him by the arm and slings him roughly into the house, not wanting the kids to see. The force knocks Yazoo to his knees, surprising Cloud. He pulls Yazoo up and grabs his shoulders, taking him over to an empty table. Once there, Cloud bends him over it at a ninety-degree angle and pushes his head against it roughly to prevent his escape.

"What do you want!" Cloud demands angrily.

Yazoo struggles to answer, feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable in his postition, and his face hurting from being squished against the table. "I want peace."

"Peace? Then why are you seeking Jenova?"

"I'm not! I'm --," Yazoo whimpers, but is cutt-off by Cloud's cell phone ringing. Cloud keeps one hand on Yazoo's head and answers the phone with the other.

"Hello?" Cloud asks.

"Cloud, this is Rufus," the person on the phone explains. "I hate to bother you, but you'll never guess who's in my office with me right now."

"Kadaj?" Cloud asks. Rufus falls silent, wondering how he guessed so easily. "One of his brothers is here with me."

"I see," Rufus replies. "Kadaj says he wants peace and is requesting my help," he continues, glancing over to Kadaj, who is across the room sitting in Rufus' old swivle chair with his feet propped up on his desk. He smirks at Rufus, seeming pleased.

While Cloud is distracted, Yazoo moves his head out from under Cloud's hand and stands up straight. Cloud quickly grabs Yazoo's hands from behind and ties them together with a training rope lying in a seat. Yazoo squirms and fights to get loose, so Cloud kicks him in the buttocks, throws him on the floor, and holds him down on his stomach. "What kind of help?" Cloud finally questions.

"He wants us to find a child from the Jenova Project."

"Why should we help them? Can he give us a reason?" Cloud says, thinking this to be a trap by Kadaj.

"He says he found out what his real mother wants and has decided to --."

"Give me that phone!" Kadaj yells, putting his feet down from off the desk and walking up to Rufus. He snatches the phone from him and says, "Hello?"

"What do you want us for?" Cloud asks him.

"Big Brother? Hmph! Where's Yazoo!"

"Yazoo?" Cloud asks, then looks down to see his brother in the floor. "You mean the one you sent here? I've already taken care of him." Yazoo winces and slightly squirms.

"Yazoo! That worthless weakling! I sent him there for one, _**simple**_ little task to prove himself, and he can't even do that!"

"You're wasting my time. Now answer my question or I'm hanging up."

"Well, my brothers and I have decided to start over. A nice woman named _**Aerith**_ told us the truth about Mother and we didn't like that idea for ourselves at all, so we want to be whole without her. Ourselves. No longer part of some memetic legacy that has nothing to offer _**us**_," Kadaj explains while quickly pacing around the office. "What we want is our own purpose."

"And why do you need us?" Cloud asks, glancing down at Yazoo, who is lying on the floor in cooperation.

"We need you to help us find a child. With us all teamed up together, we'll find him in no time."

"How can I trust you?"

"Well," Kadaj says, unsure. "What do you _**want**_ us to do?"

"How about starting by handing over all of your weapons and materia to me?"

"Not a chance!"

"Well, we can do that and be friends, or I can punish your brother here for what he did!"

Kadaj growls in aggrivation and annoyance at Yazoo. "Fine! I'll be right over with Loz!" Kadaj hands the phone back to Rufus and angrily leaves the office.

Cloud hangs up his phone and looks down at Yazoo. "Your name's Yazoo, right?" he asks. "I'll let you up and free if you'll be good, but I'm going to take your weapons and materia first," he tells him, not seeing him as much of a threat.

"But, Cloud! He's dangerous!" Tifa reminds.

"It's alright, Tifa. I can handle him."

Yazoo allows him to search him for weapons and materia and take them, and then unlatch his hands and let him up. "I-is Kadaj coming?" he stutters, giving Cloud the impression that he is either shy or afraid.

"He's on his way right now," Cloud answers.

"But what about the kids?" Tifa asks.

"Would you mind going out and watching them?"

"Sure," she replies, and then exits the bar and goes to their play area.

"You might as well take a seat," Cloud tells Yazoo.

"N-no. I'm fine," Yazoo refuses, angry that hehas been defeated by Cloud. Heembraces himself and looks away while leaned against the wall.

"No, sit down or I'll _**tie**_ you down," Cloud orders. "I wanna keep a close eye on you."

Yazo sits on a couch several feet from the kitchen and looks down sadly and angrily, looking anxious. Cloud sits in chair next to the couch and watches him curiously. "You don't seem very happy," he says observantly.

Yazoo looks up at him, surprised that he would bother to ask. "Kadaj is angry with me. He says I'm weak and . . . and he sent me here to test me. I failed so . . ."

"He'll be mad, right? What does he do to you when he gets mad?"

"Well, he usually yells at me and . . . sometimes he hits me," he replies sadly, his tension lessening.

"Just wondering. He's cruel to everyone, so I wondered how he treated his brothers."

"Big Brother, why did you untie me? Aren't I . . . dangerous?" he asks, changing the subject.

"I think I can handle you if you decide to pull another stunt. And . . . it's strange. I don't really feel . . . Jenova's presence either."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Cloud says. "And you didn't seem as strong when I attacked you. You seemed so . . . frail and fragile."

Hearing that upset Yazoo, since he hears it from his brothers so much already. "It's not fair," he whimpers quietly with his head down.

"What?" Cloud asks, unable to hear him.

"It's not fair!" Yazoo cries. "Why can't _**I**_ be strong like everyone else! Why didn't Mother want _**me**_ to be strong, too!"

Feeling guilty, Cloud walks over to Yazoo and sits next to him on the couch. He looks into Yazoo's hurt face and sees that he is nearly in tears. "You're not gonna cry, are you?" he asks, feeling both confused, annoyed,and guilty.

"Just leave me alone!" Yazoo yells, tears falling from his eyes, turning away from Cloud. "I'm so 'frail and fragile' that you might crush me!"

"What's wrong? Did I upset you that much?" Cloud asks, unbelieving. He sees that that only hurts Yazoo more, so he adds, "I'm sorry." As Cloud reaches his hand as if to touch Yazoo, he says, "Don't feel-"

"Don't touch me!" Yazoo screams, jerking away as if in fear.

"Are you . . . afraid of me?"

"Hey!" a deep voice yells from in front of them. They look and see that it is Loz with Kadaj next to him. "You made my little brother cry!"

"So you took his weapon and decided to hurt him, huh?" Kadaj says, unbelieving.

"Kadaj! I'm fine!" Yazoo sniffs, standing up. "He didn't hurt me!"

"Then why are you crying like a baby? Got diaper rash?" Kadaj says in a taunting tone, followed by an evil smile. Loz smiles as well and Cloud stands up.

"No!" Yazoo yells, embarassed.

"Then it must be because you failed at the simple assignment that you begged for and are going to pay for it!" Kadaj grabs Yazoo roughly and starts hitting him as hard as he can, causing Yazoo to cry out in pain with every hit. Cloud is stunned by the sight, but quickly shakes it off an shields Yazoo, causing him to get hit by Kadaj instead.

"Move it!" Kadaj screams, furious. As he throws a punch at Cloud, he catches the hit in the palm of his hand and tosses Kadaj on the floor nearly as easily as he had Yazoo. Cloud turns to Yazoo and looks up into his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Cloud asks.

"You . . . you saved me. But why?" Yazoo asks in shock, now longer crying.

"Hey, Kadaj, you okay?" Loz asks, since Kadaj has yet to move since he hit the floor.

Kadaj is lying on his stomach in the floor with his head turned away from everyone. He bits his lower lip, trying not to cry from shame of being so easily defeated by Cloud. As he thinks about how weak he just was, tears spill from his eyes and Loz pulls him up.

"I don't need you to pull me up! I'll get up myself when I want!" Kadaj scolds, hating that Loz revealed to everyone his tearful face.

"Kadaj? You're crying. But you hardly ever --"

"Shut-up!" Kadaj screams loudly while hitting Loz in the face. He sees that the punch hardly phased Loz, so he cries harder and stomps a few feet away.

"You're wasting my time. You obviously don't want my help," Cloud says, upset by the situation.

"Here!" Kadaj cries, throwing his Souba and materia down on the floor in front of Cloud. "Take it! I'm leaving!" Kadaj leaves the building in fury.

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So, do you like it? Please leave a review! It really makes my day! Next chapter: Sephiroth appears! .


	2. Order

"_I think I had a dream. A dream of being alone. I wanted someone – anyone beside me . . . so I wouldn't have to be alone anymore._" -- Tidus

"_If you want everything, you'll end up with nothing_!" -- Lulu

"_Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try_." -- Yunalesca.

"_Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands_!" -- Auron

"_My thoughts, they kept floating up, and slipping through my fingers. Slipping away before I could pin them down with words._" -- Tidus

**Okay, this is the second and perhaps worst chapter of this story! Sorry, but I thought some boring bonding was needed in this situation. I hope everyone likes the way I portray Yazoo in this story, it is slightly unique, perhaps? I hope this story is better than my "O, Brothers!"; I lost nearly all of my reviewers because of something rather . . . strange. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story and please review! It really truely makes my day! Sometimes I nearly cry from happiness! And thank you, all reviewers! I appreciate you donating your time to review my story! All ideas welcome and will be credited if used! All requests will be considered, flames welcome, and complaints read. **

**Also, I received a review mentioning some Japanese lessons on a forum. Would you please tell me what this forum is called and where I may find it? Please?**

_I am now editing the story to make it better and more in-character. I hope this makes it more enjoyable. And the reason why Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are so emotional right now is because they are under a lot of stress and stuff from this big change that you are about to read about. _

* * *

**Chapter 2: Order**

Kadaj walks sadly down the street with tears in his eyes, kicking every gravel coming in contact with his boots. As he sulks, he sees a shadow on the ground in front of him, so he looks up to see its source. Standing before him is none other than Sephiroth.

"Hello there, Kadaj," Sephiroth says menacingly. Kadaj's face goes pale as he looks up at Sephiroth, causing him to smile even more. "I heard you don't love Mother anymore."

"I . . . I . . . ," Kadaj stutters. "But Mother loves you more than me. She chose you over me and she even let me die and was going to do nothing for me even if I _**had **_succeeded. Why _**should**_ I continue to love her?"

Sephiroth chuckles. "And I bet you've been wondering why you and your brothers are so weak right now, correct?" Kadaj listens carefully. "It's because the rain washedeverything to do with Mother and I away from you. You're clean.And since you no longer desire Mother's love, you'll never get the cells back to be strong again. It takes her love for you to be her son and be strong."

"I don't care about that anymore! I just want to be whole!"

"And how do you plan to do that? You're no longer a piece of Mother and I. You're just an empty, useless remnant. No, you're not even that. Not without your instincts for Reunion," Sephiroth taunts. "You're just junk from the Lifestream."

Kadaj becomes silent, unsure how to argue with such logic. Before Sephiroth can continue to taunt him, Kadaj turns around upon hearing footsteps behind him and sees Loz running to him. As he turns back around, Sephiroth is gone without a trace.

"Kadaj, please come back! Big Brother's willing to help us!" Loz begs.

"Loz, I'm sorry I hit you!" Kadaj cries. He embraces Loz and cries into his chest. "I'm being a bad leader, aren't I!"

"Kadaj . . . ? It's alright. Let's just go back, okay?" Loz says, stroking his brother's back. Kadaj lets go and wipes the tears from his eyes with his wrist. "We're all under a lot of pressure right now, so I'm sure Yazoo will forgive you, too."

They walk together until they reach the bar, and then go inside casually. They stop upon seeing Cloud sitting in his chair reading the _Shinra Times_. He looks up angrily at Kadaj and says, " Are you willing to behave and prove that you're not a waste of my time?"

"Yeah," Kadaj says sadly. "But first, I think I should talk to Yazoo." He sees Yazoo sitting on the couch with his right leg elegantly crossed over his left knee and his hands in his lap. He sits next to him on the middle cushion, leaving the other side for Loz. Kadaj sits sideways toward Yazoo, but Yazoo looks the other way -- toward the wall.

"Yazoo, I saw Sephiroth," Kadaj informs, but fails to get Yazoo to turn away from looking at the wall. "He says we're weaker becausewe have been cleaned of being a part of him andReunion." Kadaj explains to him everything Sephiroth had told him, Yazoo still refuses to acknowledge him. "Yazoo! Turn around_** now**_!"

Yazoo turns to Kadaj, the tone frightening him. As they look at each other, they see that each others' faces are swollen and that Yazoo has a hurt look included on his.

"Kadaj, go easy on 'im, okay?" Loz requests softly.

"Don't order _**me**_ around, Loz!" Kadaj yells.

"That's enough!" Cloud says, putting down his paper. "We need to figure out what we're doing, especially since you're no longer naturally strong. Arguing won't help a thing."

"Well, I'm the leader and Yazoo has to obey me!" Kadaj yells with his thumb pointing to his own chest and his hair covering most of his face. "If not, he'll suffer the consequences!"

"Not anymore. I'm in charge now," Cloud informs strictly. "And I say you can't hurt Yazoo anymore."

Kadaj opens his mouth and huffs as if trying to say something, but no words come out. Yazoo smiles slightly, indicating that he likes Cloud's new rule.

"Hey, Kadaj? Aren't ya going to confront Big Brother? He took your position," Loz smiles, trying to stir up trouble.

Kadaj just bites his lower lip, leans back in his seat, crosses his arms, and glares at Cloud. He knows that he cannot defeat Cloud, so he is stuck accepting the situation. "I hope you're happy, Yazoo," Kadaj growls lowly to him.

Yazoo switches his legs in the opposite position and smiles. "Thank you, Kadaj. That's the nices thing you've said to me since we first reached this city."

"Who's in second command?" Loz asks.

Cloud thinks for a moment. He first looks at Loz and thinks about his qualities. He is very strong, even without any of his super strength he once had, plus he seems to work well with others. His only probelems are that he is not much of a thinker and does not seem good at giving orders.

Cloud shifts his eyes over to Kadaj, who is still upset and glaring down at himself. He is somewhat strong and very skilled, cunning, and bossy -- a very well-rounded leader. His flaw is his cruelty and incompassion for others.

He then looks to Yazoo, whois still sitting in the same position, only now he has his head leaned over idely on his left arm, which is propped up on the couch arm. Yazoo is aloof andweak,but on the plus side is . . . well . . . beautiful? Good at doing flips?

"Kadaj," Cloud finally says. Kadaj's face lights up, but Yazoo looks fearful again. "You're the only one with the right qualitites."

"You see? Our Mother may be cruel, but she is wise," Kadaj chuckels arrogantly.

"Big Brother!" Yazoo whines in protest.

"What's the matter, Yazoo? _**Scared**_?" Loz tauntes. Yazoo crosses his arms and turns away again.

"That's why I didn't choose you," Cloud says to Loz, reffering to his behavior. "I'm sorry, Yazoo. You're not suitable either."

"Why not?" Yazoo asks sadly and angrily, offended,while looking at Cloud now.

"Well, you just . . . don't have that certain quality."

"Because you're _**weak**_!" Kadaj insults.

Yazoo stand up angrily and begins to stomp away, but Kadaj sticks his leg out, causing Yazoo to trip and fall forwad. Kadaj and Loz begin to laugh while Yazoo raises himself to his knees. As he gets back on his feet, Cloud gently pushes him out of the way and grabs Kadaj by the neck of his suit and angrily pushes him against the back cushion of the couch.

"I made you _**second**_ in command! that means you're only in charge when I'm _**gone**_!" Cloud informs. "Now I suggest you stop acting like a brat or I'll have Loz take your place! Understand?"

"Y-yes," Kadaj answers, shaken.

Cloud lets him go and turns to Yazoo, who is once again surprised by Cloud's behavior. "If Kadaj does anything else to you while I'm in charge, don't hesitate to inform me," Cloud tells him.

"So what's your _**bright**_ idea!" Kadaj smarts-off, his arms crossed moodily once again.

"First of all, if you want your weapons and materia back, you'd better straighten up. I'm only do this as a favor. Second, you'd better learn to get along with one another, since this mission or whatever will require your teamwork," Cloud says firmly. "And that means stop mistreating Yazoo."

"Yeah! You might make him cry, Kadaj!" Loz smiles.

"Why do you two pick on him so much?" Cloud questions. "He's one of you."

"Well, he's weak and girly!" Kadaj exclaims.

"Cloud!" Marlene yells as she runs inside. "Cloud, Denzel scraped his knee!"

"Alright," Cloud says, and then turns to the brothers. "I'll be right back." Marlene sees them and freezes. As she remembers what Loz did to Tifa and how he kidnapped her, tears form in her eyes. "Marlene, it's okay. They're good now. I'm sure they'll make it up to you. Now let's go help Denzel."

After Cloud and Marlene leave, Loz and Kadaj start telling each other unintelligent knock-knock jokes while Yazoo leans on the opposite wall watching. He sees them whisper the jokes to each other and then laugh hysterically, so he sinks down on his bottom with his knees bent up to his chest and watches his own hand picking at the cheap carpet.

"What's wrong, Yazoo? Wanna join in?" Loz asks. Yazoo looks up with his face lit-up hopefully. "Sorry, but _**you**_ can't!" he laughs with Kadaj.

As Yazoo struggles to contain his emotions, Tifa enters the room from outside. "Hey, Cloud told me to watch you all," she says, and then notices Yazoo on the floor away from his brothers. She crouches down next to him, causing Yazoo to embrace himself shyly. "What's wrong? Why are you over here by yourself?" she asks, and then quietly says, "Which I can't blame you for avoiding the big one," remembering their fight.

Yazoo gets up and goes outside with his right arm covering his eyes, suggesting that either he needs sunglasses or is crying. Tifa turns to Kadaj and Loz with an angry, yet concerned look.

Yazoo continues walking outside while wiping tears from his red, swollen eyes while he feels embarassed and pathetic walking by the children. They stare up at him, not sure what to make of his presence. He comes across a green slide with a top on it and leans on it while struggling to not cry into his arms.

Cloud hearsbreathing like someone cryingand follows it in concern. He spots Yazoo and sees that it is coming from him, so he approaches him and puts a hand on his shoulder. Yazoo looks at him with a sad face, and then puts his face back in his arms. Cloud sighs and walks back into the bar with Tifa, Kadaj, and Loz.

"Tifa, what happened?" Cloud asks. She looks at him questioningly. "Yazoo's outside crying."

"Oh, he was sitting all by himself and I asked him what was wrong and he left," she explains.

"Kadaj?" Cloud inquires. "What happened?"

"Loz and I were telling each other jokes and he got upset for some reason," Kadaj answers plainly.

"Maybe because he wasn't a part of it," Cloud reminds.

"Why do you care so much about him anyway! He's _**worthless**_ and he _**shot **_you!" Kadaj yells.

"But he . . .," Cloud says sadly and in some confusion. "He seems . . . _**different **_. . . ?"

A child walks up to Yazoo and looks at him curiously. "Why are you crying? Do you need a bandage?"

Yazoo looks at the child and appreciates the concern. "No. My brothers don't love me anymore."

"Hey! Get away from him!" a mean, deep voice yells from behind. Yazoo and the child turn and look to see that it is Barret. Barret grabs Yazoo tightly by the arm, hurting him, and drags him into the bar. Yazoo struggles and tries desperately to get out of Barret's horribly tight and miserable grasp, but Barret only jerks and squeezes him more. "Cloud, I found this girl creeping around here!"

Yazoo blushes upon being called a girl and Kadaj and Loz snicker and giggle. "Yazoo's not a girl," Cloud informs Barret.

Barret slings Yazoo around again and they look at each other. Barret makes a disgusted face at the fact that Yazoo is male, and then looks to Cloud. "D'ya wanna interrogat him?"

"No. It's alright. I'll explain it to everyone later," Cloud replies.

Barret glares at Yazoo and squeezes his arm tighter. "If you lay _**one finger**_ on Marlene . . . I'll _**make**_ you _**pay**_!" He throws Yazoo down like a rejected toy and exits the bar.

"We're sorry, Yazoo," Loz apologizes, lending a hand to Yazoo, who is sitting in the floor while leaned on his hands. He looks up at Loz in angry unbelievement and gets up by himself.

"Yazoo, don't be so upset!" Kadaj smiles, walking toward him. He places a hand on Yazoo's shoulder, so Yazoo thrusts it off angrily.

"Come on! It was just some jokes!" Loz says.

"Just some jokes!" Yazoo yells while turning toward them. "You're _**always**_ mean to me! No matter what I do, it's not good enough! I even killed Big Brother for you, but that's not good enough either! What do you _**want **_from me!"

"Yazoo, calm down. It isn't worth fighting, is it?" Kadaj asks cooly, as if it is nothing.

"But we're supposed to be brothers -- a team -- yet you won't have anything to do with me and you're mean to me! Do you expect me to be happy!"

"Yeah, because we love you," Loz says, hugging Yazoo. "If we didn't, we'd ditch you somewhere."

"But . . . ," Yazoo says while still being embraced.

"Hey, we let you help out when we were looking for Mother, right? So quit complaining!" Kadaj exclaims.

"But you never appreciate me!"

"You never do anything!"

"You won't let me!"

"You'll just get hurt and slow us down!"

"Let me go, Loz!" Yazoo demands. As he tries to break free, Loz squeezes him tighter. "Let me go! I'll show him I'm strong! I'll defeat him!" Loz squeezes him so tightly that his face squints up, his knees are forced together, and his arms are stuck to his sides.

"No! You'll just get hurt!" Loz refuses. "Kadaj'll beat you senseless!"

"Fine!" Yazoo accepts, desperate for air. Loz releases him and he lands on the floor in a sitting position while gasping for a breath. "Big Brother, may I please challenge Kadaj?"

"No. You need your strength for our mission," Cloud refuses.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review! **

**Next chapter: Arm wrestling, pancakes, and more tension among the brothers. The one after it has more Seph, so keep reading, 'kay? Please?**


	3. Pancakes and Arm Wrestling

Hey, Neo here! I am proud to present to you chapter 3 of this story! Tada! Whoohooo! Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming! If not, I you may slowly see this story stop. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! All ideas and comments welcome! Ideas used will be credited!

_This chapter has now been revised, but very slightly. I basically just fixed some spelling and grammer._

**Chapter 3: Pancakes and Armwrestling**

The next morning, Cloud awakens upon hearing some loud crashing sounds and muffled yelling. Concerned, he gets out of bed and immediately goes to it. As he sees the source, he is surprised to see Kadaj lying on the floor while Tifa attacks him with a frying pan.

"Tifa!" Cloud calls. She sees him and lowers the pan. "What's going on?!"

"He was sneaking around in here!" Tifa answers

Kadaj gets off of the floor and grunts. "I was _**going**_ to make breakfast as a thanks for helping me and my brothers!"

"Tifa-," Cloud begins.

"_**Liar**_! You were going to poison the children -," Tifa accuses.

"Tifa-,"

". . . and the find Jenova-,"

"Tifa-!"

". . . and kill us all!"

"_**Tifa**_!" Cloud yells. Tifa turns to Cloud angrily. "I'd like to see you in the living room."

Tifa stomps after Cloud into the living room and slams the door behind her for privacy. "How can you trust them! Have you forgotten what just happened a few days ago! I mean, think about Denzel and Marlene . . . and the other kids! They're scared to death and yet you _**welcome**_ those creeps here!"

"Tifa, I know this seems strange, but I feel like this is the right thing to do. Besides, they said Aerith wanted it. How can I refuse to that?" Coud reasons seriously.

"Aerith . . . she did? Why?" Tifa asks, no longer angry.

"They deserve a second chance."

* * *

In the kitchen, Kadaj is setting out some food on the bar counter that he thinks will taste good for breakfast. As he stands back and thinks about what to do next, he sees Yazoo enter the room while yawning.

"Yazoo, my dear sweet brother, would you please help me with something?" Kadaj requests, his hands laced behind his back innocently.

"'With what, Kadaj?" Yazoo asks generously.

"Well, I wanted to cook breakfast for our big brother, but I can't cook and . . . "

"So you want me to do it?" Yazoo says in annoyance, shifting his weight over on one side of his body.

"And I'll help you. After I wake Loz," Kadaj adds. He leaves the room and heads up the stairs to the spare room the three are sharing.

Yazoo looks at the food on the counter as if overwhelmed. He picks up the box of pancakes and reads the instructions on the back. Thinking it to be easy enough, he puts everything else away and starts making the pancakes.

"Get up, Loz!" Kadaj screams furiously as he throws a Barret Wallace action figure at him.

Loz jumps up and picks up the doll. He makes a disgusted face at it, and then glares at Kadaj. "Watch it, _**stupid**_!"

"Hurry downstairs! We're gonna cook breakfast! The faster we eat, the faster we leave and the sooner we become whole . . . so stop messing around!" Kadaj hurries out of the room and runs down the stairs. As he reenters the kitchen, he sees that Yazoo is pouring some mix into skillets on the stove.

"Um, Kadaj?" Yazoo asks, looking back at him. "Someone needs to set the table."

"You can do it," Kadaj states simply as he starts opening cabinets.

"But I'm cooking," Yazoo reminds as he picks up the mix box to read the directions again.

"Well, I'll go get Loz to do it."

"Why can't _**you**_ ever do anything?" Yazoo gripes.

"What was that?" Kadaj asks formidabley.

". . . Nothing."

"That's what I thought. Now I'll go -- oh, there you are!" Kadaj exclaims as Loz enters the room. "Go set the table!"

"What're **_you_** gonna do?" Loz asks cockily.

"I'm going to speak with Big Brother." He leaves the room and strolls down the hallway.

"Just _**who**_ does he think he is?!" Loz complains.

"_**Really**_! We're no longer part of Mother, so he's no longer anything special!" Yazoo adds, wiping up a drip of pancake mix he spilled on the counter.

"Stop cookin', Yazoo! Why should we listen to the brat?!"

"But, Loz, he _**is**_ above us in second command . . . or whatever. Besides, Big Brother will be pround and happy if we have breakfast ready for him," Yazoo reasons.

* * *

Kadaj knocks on the door of Cloud's room, which is shortly followed by Cloud opening it. Kadaj smiles up at Cloud, who is looking down at him curiously. "Big Brother, when are we leaving?" 

"After breakfast. I'm packing right now, so leave and let me do it unless you want to help," Cloud tells him.

"Of coarse I'll help!"

"What about breakfast? I thought you were cooking."

"I've got that under control," Kadaj assures, walking past Cloud and into the room. He flops onto the bed and starts digging into the large backpack next to him. Cloud stares angrily at his rudeness as he starts pulling things out and examining them. "What's this?" Kadaj asks, holding a _First-Aid Kit_.

Cloud walks up to Kadaj, jerks the kit out of his hands, and puts it back into the backpack. "If you're going to help, then don't act like that. Keep it up and Loz'll take your place."

"Act like what?" Kadaj asks. Cloud remains silent. "Big Brother, what did I do wrong?"

Cloud realizes by Kadaj's tone and expression that he does not know any better. ". . . Nothing." Kadaj just sits in frustration, wondering what he did wrong.

* * *

"Loz, would you please come here for a second?" Yazoo requests, standing at the stove. Loz walks over to him and stops. "Do you think these look done?" 

Loz inspects the pancakes and smiles. "Looks like you've done a good job, Yazoo." Loz puts his hand on Yazoo's shoulder. "It's about time you got good at something."

Yazoo brushes Loz's hand off of him and begins walking away. "I'm going to tell Kadaj I finished with breakfast." Yazoo walks down the hall and knocks on Cloud's door, just as Kadaj had, with the same pattern and everything. Cloud opens it and Yazoo becomes nervous at his serious look. "Um, breakfast is ready, Big Brother."

"Alright," Cloud says, and then turns to Kadaj, who is still sitting on the bed. "Come on, Kadaj."

A few minutes later, Cloud is sitting at one end of the table and Tifa at the other; Kadaj at one side near Cloud and next to Loz, and Yazoo at the other. 

"Cloud, aren't Marlene and Denzel eating with us?" Tifa questions.

"Not today. They're eating with the other kids at their clubhouse," Cloud answers.

"Oh, um," Yazoo gasps, feeling nervous about being in charge of the food for Cloud and Tifa. "I'll go get the food!" He jumps up and stops in front of the stove, wondering where the plates are located. He turns to Cloud and says, "Um . . . where are your plates, Big Brother?"

"Don't worry about it. You've done enough," Tifa tells him happily. She walks up to him and looks at his somewhat blank expression. "You just go sit down. You're new so . . . _**you**_ should be welcomed." Yazoo goes back to his seat and looks down, letting his hair fall in his face, and clasps his hands in his lap.

"What's wrong, Yazoo?" Kadaj asks.

"Nothing!" Yazoo says quickly, looking up at Kadaj with a scared look on his face, surprising Kadaj, Loz, and Cloud at the table.

"Yazoo, are you alright?" Loz inquires, causing Tifa to stop what she is doing and look.

Yazoo swallows and looks up at Cloud as if he is about to cry. "I'm sorry, Big Brother," he choaks, causing Cloud to look at him in worry. "I accidently spilled the rest of the orange juice when I was cooking."

"Did you clean it up?" Cloud asks, relieved.

"Yes, but," he begins, shifting and grabbing his left arm with his right. "now you cannot drink orange juice this morning."

"Wait . . . we had orange juice?" Cloud asks Tifa.

"Yeah! I bought it for you, but you never drunk it!" Tifa scolds Cloud, and then turns to Yazoo. "Don't worry about it. It was ruined anyway."

Yazoo closes his eyes and sighs while placing his left hand over his chest in relief. Kadaj and Loz giggle, causing Yazoo to give them a dirty look.

As Tifa sets plates, forks, spoons, napkins, and syrup on the table for everyone, Kadaj sticks his spoon in his glass of water and smiles. He starts stirring it rapidly, causing Loz to watch excitedly. When he lets go of the spoon, it continues to spin, making the two giggle again.

"Stop that, Kadaj!" Yazoo whispers angrily, and then kicks him from under the table.

"_**Owch**_!" Kadaj exclaims. "Big Brother! Yazoo kicked me!"

"Do you three _**ever**_ stop fighting!" Cloud complains. "Behave yourselves!"

"Yes, Big Brother," the three mumble.

"Now it's time for prayer," Tifa announces. "Ahem."

"Bow your heads," Cloud instructs.

"Dear Lifestream, thank you for using your magical energies to supply us with this food and this water. Amen."

"But, I thought _**Yazoo**_ 'supplied' us with this food," Kadaj says.

"Yeah, but the Planet and Lifestream gave him the ingredients needed," Cloud explains.

"Oh . . . ," Kadaj syas in ponder. He then picks up his fork and sticks it in his pancake, which has butter sliding off the top of it. He takes a bite and looks displeaseed, so he looks over to Loz. Loz is covering his with syrup, making Kadaj curious.

"Want some, Kadaj?" Loz offers. Kadaj takes the bottle and holds it upside down over his food, but nothing happens. He starts shaking it in aggrivation and growling, but nothing happens still.

"Loz, you used it all!" Kadaj yells.

"Did not!" Loz argues.

"Let me help, Kadaj," Yazoo offers. He walks gently over to Kadaj and takes the bottle from his hands. He opens the lid, holds the bottle upside down, and squeezes it. When he finishes, Kadaj scowls.

"A smiley face?!" Kadaj gripes, crossing his arms and glaring at Yazoo for making a smiley face out of syrup on his pancakes. "I'm not a _**baby**_!"

"But, Kadaj, I just thought it'd be cute," Yazoo says sadly while getting back in his seat.

"Don't be so uptight about everything, Kadaj. You make people nervous when you do that ," Loz informs.

"Alright, then. Let's arm wrestle," Kadaj challenges.

"That's not quite what I meant, but . . ."

"Come on, Big Brother! Let's do it!" Kadaj yells excitedly.

Cloud looks over to Kadaj in surprise. "Alright. But _**after **_breakfast."

After breakfast, Tifa puts the dishes in the sink and then returns to her seat to arm wrestle. "Alright. Who's going first?"

"Me and Yazoo!" Kadaj yells.

"Alright. Get ready."

The two clasp their hands together and look each other in the eyes. When Tifa yells 'go', they both try to slam one another. Quickly, Kadaj pushes Yazoo's frail arm down on the table.

"Hah! I win!" Kadaj cheers. "Now you get to wrestle . . . Tifa, was it?"

"Yes," Tifa answers. She takes Kadaj's seat and gets ready to take on Yazoo. When Kadaj says 'go', they begin. Nearly as quickly as Kadaj had, Tifa slams Yazoo.

"I don't like this game," Yazoo whines, holding his sore arm.

"You're just upset because you lost!" Kadaj says. "Now get up so I can wrestle her!"

Tifa barely beats Kadaj, Loz beats Tifa, and now Loz is taking on Cloud. Everyone is gathered around excitedly, wanting badly to see who wins.

Loz grabs Cloud's hand and smiles. Cloud takes a deep breath and tightens his grip.

"Ready . . . ? Go!" Tifa yells.

Cloud struggles as Loz quickly pushes on his arm, nearly making it hit the table. His arm shakes and he grits his teeth as he slowly raises his arm back up. Slowly but surely, Cloud wins.

"Darn! I was SO close!" Loz yells angrily while hitting the table with his fist.

"Nice try, Loz. You did great," Yazoo congratulate sweetly as he puts one of his slender hands on Loz's muscley shoulders.

"Thanks, Yazoo," Loz sighs, putting one of his hands on Yazoo's.

"Wow, Big Brother!" Kadaj cheers. "You really _**are**_ strong! Even without a sword!"

"Come on now. It's time to leave," Cloud smiles.

"Really! What are we taking?! Motorcycles?!" Kadaj screams with joy.

"Tifa's van. She's going to be staying here with the kids, though."

"Um, where are we going?" Yazoo asks calmly.

"The carnival down town."

"Huh? What's a _**carnival**_?" Loz asks, confused.

"Well," Cloud sighs. "It's a place where you get to ride rides, play games, and eat weird food."

"And how's _**that **_going to help us become whole?" Kadaj complains, no longer happy.

"There'll be a lot of people there. Maybe we'll find some clues," Cloud reasons.

Once outside with their travel backpacks, Cloud opens the door on the driver's side (Western style car; driver on the left) in the back and sets his backpack down. Afterward, he puts Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo's in there next to his.

"I get the front seat!" Kadaj screams, getting dibs.

"Oh, _**no**_ you don't!" Loz argues. "I'm the oldest and you're the youngest! Besides, you're so little you'll need a booster seat!"

"Shut-up!" Kadaj orders while hitting Loz in the head with a rock from off the ground.

"Hey!"

"Please stop! You're upsetting Big Brother!" Yazoo pleads.

"Since when did _**you **_earn the right to order _**us**_ around!" Kadaj says importantly.

"I- I- I'm not!" Yazoo says, sounding very small and timid. "I just . . . "

"You just _**what?**_!" Kadaj taunts, smiling evily in Yazoo's eyes. Yazoo swallows and takes a few steps back, bumping into Loz.

"Aw, lay off him, Kadaj," Loz tells Kadaj casually. "He just hates it when we fight."

"Fine!" Kadaj sulks. "Now I'm going to ask Big Brother who gets the front seat!"

As Kadaj stomps off, Loz embraces Yazoo around his shoulder and Yazoo accepts the guesture and looks up to his brother. "Thank you, Loz."

"Don't mention it," Loz replies, happily yet softly.

"But _**why **_did you do it?"

"Because that's what big brothers do."

"Loz! Yazoo!" Kadaj calls, still mad, as he stomps toward them. "Big Brother's not outside anymore!"

"Here I am," Cloud announces while walking out of the garage. "Now that you're done fighting, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, but who gets the front seat next to you?"

"No one. You're all sitting in the back and going to behave yourselves."

* * *

Yeah, like that will ever happen! Well, did you enjoy this chapter? I hope you did! Please review! Flames welcome! So are ideas!

_Next chapter:_ One of Cloud's 'brothers' run into **Sephiroth** at the carnival! What chaos will come from this! Stay tuned to find out!


	4. Carnival

_Hey, guys! Neo here! How are you liking this story so far? I hope you all like this chapter! All reviews (good and flames), comments, suggestions, grievences, ideas, and stuff are welcome! If an idea is used, it WILL be credited to the person who gave it to me. I was going to have that idea of Sephiroth on a ride with Cloud in it, I liked that idea, but it just does not fit in this story. I am sorry. Seph is just a little too blood-thirsty to comply with that this time around, unless later in the story I can make him hit his head or something. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! Please review! This first scene is taken from the dream I had, so I had to put it in here! So was the scene with him and Yazoo!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII, Trans-Am,the Ferris Wheel, or the ringtones listed within._

_This chapter has now been edited. It should be a bit more in-character and the grammer and spelling mistakes should at least be minimized._

**Chapter 4: Carnival**

"Now, Sephiroth, we're almost here," Hojo says as he continues to drive down the road in a black _Trans-Am_. "Are you sue you don't need a pit stop before we get there?" There is no answer, so Hojo glances in his car mirror at Sephiroth, who is in the seat behind him head-banging and has earphones on. "Sephiroth! _**Sephiroth**_!!"

"Y-yes, Father?" Sephiroth asks while taking the earphones off.

Hojo sighs. "We're almost to the carnival and they have nasty restrooms. Would you like to stop somewhere before we arrive?"

"Yes. That would be nice."

"By the way, you're not listening to that devil-crap, are you?"

"No. I found this awesome CD with a song called _One-Winged Angel_ on it. It rocks."

"Good. Your mother is very paricular about your music. You remember the last time when you were listening to-"

"Yes, Father."

* * *

"I am _**not**_ sitting in the middle!" Kadaj argues, his arms crossed angrily. "I _**refuse**_!" 

"But you're the youngest!" Loz yells.

"The _**oldest**_ should have to sit there!"

"Wait a minute!" Loz exclaims with an idea. "It's the middle seat, right? So shouldn't the middle _**child **_sit there?"

"No _**way**_!" Yazoo refuses.

"It's two against one!" Kadaj informs.

Loz gets in behind Cloud's empty seat (Cloud forgot something and went inside the house) and Yazoo crawls to the middle from the other side. After he is seated, Kadaj gets in and starts pushing as hard as he can, squishing Loz against his door.

"Stop pushin', Kadaj!" Loz yells.

"Well, if Yazoo would lay off the sweets, I would! His hips and butt are so big I can't fit in my seat!" Kadaj yells.

"That is _**it**_!" Yazoo screams. He kicks Kadaj out of the van and glares at him.

"I'll _**kill**_ you, Yazoo!" Kadaj threatens. He gets up off the concrete driveway, leans into the van and grabs Yazoo's leg, and pulls him down onto the ground. Yazoo quickly gets back on his feet and starts running with Kadaj close behind. Unfortunately, Yazoo had not unzipped the dress-like part of his outfit, making it very difficult to run with the small leg space he has. Kadaj takes advantage of this and does not stop to let him unzip it for fairness. He pushes Yazoo down once he catches up to him, causing Yazoo to hit the ground face-first hard. As Yazoo pushes himself to his knees, Kadaj kicks him in the rump, knocking him back on the ground, and then continues kicking it because Yazoo is groaning miserably.

"Wow, Yazoo! You'd make a good trampoline!" Kadaj says meanly.

Loz grabs Kadaj and thrusts him off of Yazoo and onto the ground roughly. "Stop it, Kadaj! Leave him alone!"

Kadaj jumps up and attempts to punch Loz in the face, but Loz deflects it. Just then, Cloud runs up to them and pushes Kadaj a few inches back. "That's enough! What happened here?!"

"Kadaj was making fun of Yazoo and saying that his butt is fat, so Yazoo kicked him outta the van and they fought," Loz informs. "It upsets Yazoo a lot when people tell him he has a bad figure."

Cloud turns and sees Yazoo standing, turned the other way. "Yazoo . . . ," he says softly as he approaches him.

Yazoo blinks rapidly and fans his face with his right hand, as if that will clear up his tearful face. "These allergies are _**such**_ a pain!"

"It's okay to cry, Yazoo," Cloud tells him. "but you really shouldn't listen to Kadaj."

"But he's right," Yazoo sniffs, still turned the other way and looking downward. "I've gotten too big again. I hardly fit in my clothes." He then covers his face and cries harder. "I'm so embarassed!"

"It's okay, Yazoo. No one's perfect," Cloud assures, putting a hand on his shoulder. "So what if you're a little big there? You still look great."

"Really?" Yazoo asks, turning and looked at him with a tear streaming down his face. "No one else thinks so!"

Cloud wipes some tears off of Yazoo's feminine face and looks sadly at him. "Yazoo, that's because it's your only flaw. It's the only way they can make fun of the way you look."

Yazoo blinks a few times as he stares at Cloud, surprised by his wise words an by the face that he would use them on him. Yazoo then smiles and hugs Cloud. "Thank you, Big Brother."

Cloud returns the hug and pats Yazoo gently on he back while doing so. "You're not bad hurt, are you?"

"No, he didn't hit me very hard," he answers, letting go.

"Good," Cloud smiles.

"You okay, Yazoo?" Loz asks as he walks up from behind him. Loz sees Yazoo's red face and makes a sad expression.

"Yes, Loz," Yazoo replies. "So, um, can we go now?"

"Sure," Cloud nods, and then looks around curiously. "Where's Kadaj?"

"In the van sulking. He's upset because I threw him on the ground and dodged his punch," answers Loz.

Cloud gets in the driver's seat of the van, Loz behind him, and Yazoo behind Kadaj, who is in the passenger's seat to avoid further conflict. He has his feet propped up on the dash and his arms are crossed moodily.

"Put your feet down," Cloud orders strictly while inserting the keys into the slot.

Kadaj does so in a very angry manner. Afterwards, he turns his face away and looks out the window while mumbling to himself.

"Where's the buckle?" Loz asks, unable to find it.

"Um . . . ," Yazoo says while glancing around.

"It probably got shoved up under the seat cover," Cloud suggests as he turns on some air.

"Oh, I see it now," Yazoo point out. He leans over and points to it, unable to grab it because he has already buckled himself.

"Thanks, Yazoo," Loz says, and then grabs it and pulls it over the cover. He quickly buckles and Cloud begins driving.

"Doofuses," Kadaj says.

"Shut-up, brat!" Loz yells.

"Make me, you big ox!" Kadaj argues, turned back towards him.

"Don't make me pull over," Cloud threatens, serious.

"_**Really**_. We just pulled out," Yazoo says tiresomely.

"Shut-up, Yazoo! Just because you're Big Brother's favorite . . . !" Kadaj yells.

"I said shut-up, brat!" Loz repeats. "You'll make him wreck!"

"_**You**_ shut-up!"

"You started it!"

"Because you and Yazoo are so _**dumb**_!"

"That's enough!" Cloud yells, frustrated. "I'm trying to drive."

"Oh, yeah?" Kadaj smarts-off.

Cloud pulls over the van on the side of he highway, gets out, and walks to Kadaj's side of the van. He opens the door, pulls Kadaj out by his arm, and slams the door shut. Loz and Yazoo watch curiously from their seats.

"Do you want my help?!" Cloud asks angrily.

"Yeah," Kadaj answes. "Why _**else**_ would I be here?!"

"Stop with the attitude! If you don't, I'll leave you at home to be babysat!"

"Make me!"

Loz and Yazoo watch in amazement as Cloud takes off his belt and whips Kadaj on the butt with it. Afterward, the two get back inside the van and Kadaj can be heard sniffling.

"Crying, Kadaj?" Loz teases as Cloud continues driving.

"Shut-up!" Kadaj sobs.

"Got quite a beating, didn't you?" Yazoo adds.

Kadaj, angry, hits his door with his arm to resist yelling and getting into more trouble. Loz and Yazoo giggle.

"It's nice to see _**him**_ crying for a change," Yazoo whispers to Loz with his hand loosely hiding his lips from Cloud and Kadaj.

"Yeah, and at this rate, _**I'll**_ be second in command," Loz whispers back.

"I never could've imagined Kadaj to be this weak without Mother."

"That's enough, you two," Cloud orders, knowing that they were mocking Kadaj. "Besides, we're almost there."

Yazoo looks over to Loz in excitement. "I can't wait to see what a _**carnival**_ is!"

"Me neither!" Loz smiles.

"Don't forget why we're going," Cloud says. "We're looking for that child."

"Can't you ever have any fun, Big Brother?" Yazoo asks with sympathy. "You're always so serious . . . "

". . . It's just past this exit," Cloud informs, avoiding Yazoo's comment.

Yazoo frowns like a sad child, so Loz hands him his cell phone. Yazoo takes it from him and stares at the phone in curiosity.

"Pick a ringtone," Loz tells him.

"But it's your phone," Yazoo reminds. "Mine is gone."

"So I'm letting you choose my ringtone."

"Fine," Yazoo sighs. "My pink phone was prettier, though." He scrolls down the list and smiles as he finds a song that he likes. He selects it, and then hands the phone back to Loz.

"What'd you choose? _Catwalk_?" Loz asks, putting the phone away.

"No. _Barbie Girl_. _**My**_ old ringtone," Yazoo smiles sweetly, making Loz grumble in annoyance.

A few minutes later, Cloud pulls into a parking space and turns off the van, so Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo look out the front window excitedly. They all unbuckle and jump out quickly, wanting eagerly to explore.

"Okay, let's try to stay together so that no one gets lost," Cloud says.

"But can't we find more clues if we split up?" Yazoo questions.

"You all can't behave yourselves," Cloud informs. "You act like babies."

"Babies?!" Loz yells, feeling very insulted.

"Why, we do _**not**_, Big Brother!" Yazoo adds, angry.

"Come on. Do you want to be whole or not?" Cloud asks grouchily.

Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo follow moodily behind Cloud until Kadaj runs out in front to watch a couple of teenagers throwing brown balls at ornaments in front of a curtain. He studies them curiously as they are handed a giant stuffed Tonberry for knocking down the three ornaments.

"Come on, Kadaj," Cloud says, taking him by the arm to drag him away.

"No! _**I**_ wanna play!" Kadaj refuses. He gets in the back of the short line and Cloud sighs.

"Come on, Yazoo," Loz whispers. "Now's our chance to go have some fun."

"Alright," Yazoo smiles. He and Loz sneak away while Cloud watches Kadaj get ready to play the game.

"Great idea, Loz!" Yazoo giggles as they turn the corner and head toward the rides.

"Yeah. This way, we can have fun _**and**_ search!" Loz adds happily.

"Oh, I know! Let's ride something!"

"What should we ride?" Loz asks dumbly. "A chocobo?"

"No! The things these people are riding!" Yazoo points out, showing the _Ferris Wheel_ to Loz.

"Okay! Let's ride it!" Loz cheers. "Sure you can handle it?"

"Of coarse!" Yazoo answers, touchy. "Let's hurry before Big Brother finds us!"

After standing in line for a few minutes, Loz hands the man some gil and the man helps the two brothers into a seat.

"Scared yet?" Yazoo asks Loz teasingly.

"No. Are you?" Loz returns.

"Of coarse not."

As the ride starts up, Yazoo graps the handle bars tightly and sits as close to the back of his seat as possible. As they reach the top of the ride, Loz exclaims, "There's Kadaj!" Yazoo looks down and sees an ant-like figure with silver hair and begins to whimper. "Do you see a strange looking kid?"

"N-no," Yazoo whines.

Loz looks over to Yazoo in concern. "You okay, Yazoo?"

"I-I'm so scared!" Yazoo admits.

"Aw, come on! It's fun!" Loz nudges him.

"No it's not!" Yazoo cries, his eyes shut as they approach the bottom.

"Look at me! No hands!" Loz brags, his arms in the air.

"Ah! We're starting to go up again!" Yazoo panics. "Let me off this thing!"

When they reach the top again, Loz smiles meanly upon getting an idea. Seeing Yazoo in a horrified state, he begins rocking the seat. Yazoo feels the rocking and opens his eyes to see his world moving even more. "Aaaaah!!" Yazoo squeals and shrieks. "Stop it! Stop it, Loz!" Loz laughs and starts rocking harder. "_**Please stop**_!!" Yazoo begs, hanging on tighter and tears steaming down his face.

"Alright, alright," Loz appologizes, feeling bad. "I'm sorry, Yazoo." He puts an arms around Yazoo's thin shoulders and pulls him over against him. "I'm sorry. Don't cry."

When the ride is finally over, Loz and Yazoo hurry out of their seats and Loz grabs his stomach. "Uhh . . . I think I'm gonna puke."

Yazoo takes Loz by the arm and helps him to a restroom. Yazoo waits outside next to a cotton candy booth while Loz throws-up. He feels thirsty, so he decides to go search for a water fountain while he waits for his brother. Eventually, he finds one and stops to drink from it, but before he can get a drink from it, he sees a flash of silver in the corner of his eye. As he turns toward it, he sees that it is Sephiroth and his face goes pale and his eyes wide.

"Surprised to see me?" Sephiroth asks smoothly.

"I- um," Yazoo stutters, backing into the water fountain, trapped. Sephiroth aquires a sinister smile on his face. "A-are you looking for Big Brother?"

"You mean Cloud? Not so much," Sephiroth answers. "I want _**you**_." Yazoo looks up in horror, afraid of what may be about to happen. "Since you are worthless to Mother and your brothers, I'll let you be meaningful to _**me**_."

"No . . . please . . . "

Sephiroth grabs Yazoo roughly by his left arm and squeezes it until Yazoo winces. "I need you to take care of Cloud for me. Understand?"

"N-no!" Yazoo yells between light wimpers.

"Is that so?' Sephiroth asks, jerking Yazoo by the arm so that they are face-to-face. "I suggest you rethink your decision."

"I . . . I won't hurt Big Brother!" Yazoo refuses.

Sephiroth, angry, shoves Yazoo into the wall of a brick building, and then with one hand, raises Yazoo off of his feet by the top of his suit. "Is that so?" Sephiroth states, followed by a chuckle. "I think you'll reconsider more thoughtfully this time."

Yazoo becomes even more horrified as those words enter his ears. Sephiroth begins thrashing Yazoo's slender body against the brick wall while Yazoo tries to unsecure Sephiroth's hands from his shirt. Finally, Sephiroth tosses Yazoo onto the ground as if he were a diseased toy. Before Yazoo can get up, Sephiroth grabs him by the right let and begins dragging him into the alley. "The children shouldn't see this," Sephiroth explains, trying to scare Yazoo more.

Upon arriving, Sephiroth grabs a club and smiles. "Now sit still while I break your legs, okay?"

"No!" Yazoo yells. Sephiroth stops midswing. "I'll do whatever you ask," he gives in, too afraid to face the punishment.

"Good. Now here's your assignment: I want you to put this poison in Cloud's food," he says, handing a packet of green powder to Yazoo as he stands up. "A simple task to prove yourself."

"What will happen after I do this?" Yazoo asks.

"Cloud will die and Mother and I will love you. You'll truely be my little brother," he answers. "And, by the way, if you tell anyone about this or decide not to do it, I'll beat you 'till you wish you were dead." He then dissappears.

Yazoo stares down at the package and sighs, and then stuffs it into his boot for safety. Still thirsty, he turns toward the fountain to drink, only to once again be interrupted.

"Hey, baby! You sure are cute to be walkin' around all by yourself!" a dirty old man tells Yazoo, placing his nasty hand on Yazoo's cheek. Yazoo kicks him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Leave me alone!" Yazoo yells. He turns back toward the fountain to drink. As he bends over to drink, he feels someone groping his butt, so he jumps up, blushing horribly, and smacks the man on the face. As the man lunges for him, Loz punches him in the face, sending him flying far away.

"Sorry I was late. He didn't bother you too much, did he?" Loz apologizes.

"Nnnn," Yazoo groans, his hands laced together in front of him. Loz puts an arm around Yazoo for comfort.

"There you are!" Cloud yells as he tensley approaches them with Kadaj behind, who is eating pink cotton candy on a stick. "We've been looking everywhere for you two!"

"Yeah! And you missed out on cotton candy!" Kadaj adds.

"I guess we'll have to go tied together next time," Cloud finishes.

"It won't happen again. _**Really**_," Yazoo assures.

"Glad to hear it. Now let's go ride the _Ferris Wheel_."

Loz and Yazoo exchange scared glances while Kadaj giggles.

* * *

_So, was it good? Are you going to review so I will write more or to tell me to not write more? _

_Next chapter: Yazoo has to decide whether or not to poison Cloud and Reno and Rude fight Loz and Yazoo again! Will Yazoo kill Cloud? Will Loz and Yazoo be able to defeat Reno and Rude without the help of Mother? Find out in the next chapter of "The Search for Avonej"!_


	5. What a Pain!

_Hey! Neo here again! Welcome to the fifth chapter of my newest story! If you want to see more of it, you must send a reveiw, please! In it, you can tell me how you like it, hate it, thank it could be better, love me, hate me, or even give me ideas! If I use your idea, you will be given credit! Ideas are very welcome! I am currently wrting chapter 9 and am having a bit of writer's block. _

_Please do not leave!! You have yet to see how Sephiroth punishes Yazoo, Yazoo's medical delimma, and the awesome ending! Please keep reading or I will cry!! Besides, reading is good for you._

_This chapter has now been revised._

**Chapter 5: What a Pain!**

The next morning, Yazoo is the first one up, so he decides to cook breakfast. After cleaning up, he stumbles down the stairs, still sore from Sephiroth's hits. Upon entering the kitchen, he picks eggs, bacon, gravey, and sausage to cook.

As the food simmers on the burner, Yazoo begins thinking about the poison as he feels the packet still in hisboot. He takes it out and stares hard at it.

Twenty minutes later, everyone is seated at the table, ready to eat. As Yazoo begins dipping food into a plate, Tifa grabs him by the shoulder, stopping him.

"Let me do it, okay? Fixing breakfast was enough," she says generously.

"N-no. I _**want**_ to do it," Yazoo informs.

"Are you sure?" Tifa asks. Yazoo nods. "Okay, then." She sits down and waits for Yazoo to pass out the food so that she may pray. Once he does, everyone bows their heads.

"Dear Lifestream, thank you for using your magical energies to supply us with this food and water," Tifa says. "Please watch over us and help the new members of our family to find what they are looking for and become happy. Amen."

Yazoo feels a burning in his stomach and a stinging in his eyes upon hearing those words -- guilt. As everyone grabs their utensiles, Yazoo emerges from his seat and yells, "_**Stop**_!!" Everyone drops their food and stares up at him in alarm. "Don't eat it, Big Brother!"

"Why not?" Cloud asks.

"It's . . . it's poisoned," Yazoo admits sadly. "I-I'm sorry . . ."

Cloud jumps up and slams Yazoo into the wall furiously. "Why is my food poisoned?!"

"I-I . .. ," Yazoo gasps, shocked and afraid.

"Tell me why!"

"Big Brother!"

Cloud thrusts him into the wall again, causing his soreness from yesterday to flare up. "Yazoo, _**why**_?! Tell me why!"

"But he'll . . . ," Yazoo says soflty and sadly with tears forming in his emerald eyes. ". . . he'll hurt me again."

"What? Who?"

"I can't tell you."

"Yes you can and you _**will**_!"

"Seph . . . ir . . .oth,"

"What?!" Loz yells, stomping over to Yazoo. "That jerk! When'd he do that?!"

"At the carnival yesterday," Yazoo answers.

"Well, scream or somethin' next time!"

"I'm sorry, Big Brother. But . . . now he'll beat me!"

"Not if we can help it," Kadaj assures. "I won't let 'im hurt you."

"That's right," Cloud agrees.

"But why?" Yazoo questions. "I nearly killed you . . . _**again**_."

"Because you don't deserve it. Though I don't trust you anymore," Cloud tells Yazoo in dissappointment. "You're not allowed to cook by yourself anymore. I'm very dissappointed in you." Cloud walks away, leaving Yazoo devastated.

When Cloud and the brothers get into the mini van, Kadaj starts counting on his fingers the things he wants to do at the carnival.

"Okay, here's the deal: _**No one**_ goes _**anywhere**_ by theirself. Everyone needs at least one of us with them. There's a lot of weirdos around here," Cloud explains.

"Yeah! Yazoo knows all about that!" Loz laughs, causing Yazoo to elbow him in the side.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

"Today is Shinra day at the carnival. I want to find Rufus and ask him a few questions. I'd like you, Kadaj, to help me, since you seem to know the most about the situation. Loz, I need you and Yazoo to try to get some answers for me from the Turks. I think they may know something and may be easier to make spill information," Cloud instructs.

"The Turks? You mean those stupid peons who dissrespected Mother?' Yazoo asks. "That one with the red hair gave me quite a bruise."

"Just don't do anything rash."

At the carnival, they head down south and to the Shinra display, where Tseng and Elena are selling gadgets, some snacks, and handing out pamphlets.

"Please take a look at Shinra's _**new**_ technology!" Elena says to a customer while happily handing him a pamphlet.

"Cloud?" Tseng asks, causing Elena to look.

"I need to know where Rufus is," Cloud tells him.

"He's back there inside his office. Reno and Rude are training by the entrance, so be careful," Tseng answers, pointing behind him.

"Thanks," Cloud says, and then leads his 'brothers' toward the building. Once there, Cloud and Kadaj enter, leaving Loz and Yazoo outside.

"Well, Rude, look who it is!" Reno exclaims from behind.

Loz and Yazoo turn to face him. "We need to know where a child from the Jenova Project is," Yazoo says smoothly.

"Not that _**Mother**_ crap again!" Reno sighs.

"No. Mother doesn't love us anymore," Loz informs.

"Oh, I wonder why!" Reno says sarcastically, teasing.

"Hey!" Loz yells.

"What is _**that**_ supposed to mean?!" Yazoo adds.

"I say let's get 'em!"

"Reno . . .," Rude says.

"Get ready!" Reno yells to Yazoo.

* * *

Inside, Rufus is in him wheelchair without his sheet while chatting with Cloud.

"What do you know about the child from the Jenova Project?" Cloud interrogates.

"Cloud, why help them?" Rufus asks, looking over to Kadaj. "Have you forgotten what they've done?"

"Just tell me. Please."

Rufus pauses, unsure what to do. ". . . There is a cabin in the woods. The Ancient Forest. He's there. But you have to have a good reason to get inside. That and something worth his time . . . like a gift or an offering. Otherwise, he'll turn you away."

"Like what?" Cloud asks.

"Jenova Cells. What else?"

"Jenova Cells . . . ?"

"There must be some remains somewhere. After all, Kadaj ran around with her head."

"Thanks for the help."

* * *

Outside, Yazoo is kicking Reno, but it has little effect.

"Hmph! Looks like someone softened up!" Reno taunts. Angry, Yazoo kicks him again.

"Shut-up!" Yazoo wheezes, tired without the help of Mother.

"Need a break?"

Yazoo stops to catch his breath, but is knocked down by Rude, who was pushed into him by one of Loz's punches. Yazoo pushes him off, and then dusts himself off one he is back on his feet.

"What, get your dress dirty?" Reno asks meanly.

"Hmph! At least I can dress myself better and brush my hair!" Yazoo returns.

Reno, mad, jumps up in the air about twenty feet, so Yazoo does the same. Reno kicks him down and he lands on his buttocks on the concrete below, just like the last time they fought. Reno lands, and after Yazoo has not moved for several seconds, he approaches him. "What? You give up?" Reno asks while getting closer to him. Yazoo looks up, showing Reno that he is crying.

Loz and Rude hear the sobbing and turn. "Yazoo!" Loz yells in alarm. He runs over to Yazoo, who is still lying on the ground, and crounches next to him. "Yazoo . . . "

"Aw, come on! It couldn't've hurt _**that**_ bad!" Reno insults. "It didn't last time!"

Loz glares over at Reno, and then charges at him. He puches him so hard that he falls into a building fifteen feet away. Afterwards, he hurries back over to Yazoo. "Are you alright?"

"No," Yazoo sobbs.

"Can you walk?"

"I don't think so . . . "

Loz lifts Yazoo into his arms and carries him into the Shinra building. He looks at the directory map on the wall and locates the office, and then approaches the elevator.

"Loz, where are you taking me?" Yazoo asks weakly.

"To Big Brother. I want him to know what just happened," Loz says, upset over Yazoo's condition.

In Rufus' office, Cloud is looking at Rufus' map of the Northern Continent as Loz comes into the room with Yazoo, alarming Cloud. "Those Turks are gonna pay!" Loz yells.

"What happened?" Cloud asks, looking at Yazoo in concern. Kadaj runs past him and over to Yazoo.

"Who did this?!" Kadaj demands, furious.

"That red-headed Turk guy!" Loz answers.

"Reno did that?" Rufus asks. "Not surprising. He's a good fighter . . . and he hates him."

"You say it as if it makes you happy!" Loz screams. He stomps over to Rufus and draws back his fist to punch him, but Cloud stops him.

"Hitting him won't help Yazoo, especially if you drop him in the process," Cloud informs, since Loz is only holding Yazoo with one arm. "Let's go help him."

* * *

When they arrive hom, Cloud immediately takes Yazoo up the stairs and puts him in bed. "Tifa's bringing the _First-Aid Kit_. I'll doctor you the best I can," Cloud tells him seriously, as usual.

"Big Brother . . .," Yazoo groans, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

Downstairs, Loz and Kadaj are upset about the situation. They are standing in the kitchen alone with Marlene and Denzel in the living room watching cartoons.

"It's all my fault!" Loz sobs. " I should've protected him in that fight like a _**good**_ big brother!"

"Loz, come on! Do you want to come with me and see if we can help him or would you rather stand here and cry about it?!" Kadaj says harshly. Loz sighs and follows him up the stairs.

Upstairs, Tifa brings the _First Aid Kit_ to Cloud and he sets it on the bed.

"Cloud, do you need any help?" Tifa offers.

"You'd be helpful, but . . . I don't think he'll be comfortable with you doctoring him," Cloud informs.

"_**Oh**_. Well, just tell me if you need anything." She exits the room.

"Big Brother," Kadaj says as he and Loz enter the room. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Are either of you good doctors?" Cloud asks.

"Not really. Yazoo always doctored us, though I've doctored him a_** little**_," Loz replies.

"Well, then no. Go help Tifa or something."

Loz and Kadaj leave the room, so Cloud locks the door behind them so that none shall enter. "Alright, Yazoo. I'm going to need to check you out, so . . . " Cloud unzips the top of Yazoo's suit down to his waist and gently and gentley removes Yazoo's arms from the sleeves, revealing his bruised and bloody flesh. He puts on some doctoring gloves and begins putting medicine on Yazoo, causing him to wince and cry harder.

"Why . . . are you helping me?" Yazoo asks weakly. "I almost killed you this morning."

Cloud stops and looks at Yazoo in the face, speechless. As he continues to doctor him again, he says, "Because it's the right thing to do."

"Oh," Yazoo says, dissappointed; hoping for a deeper answer.

* * *

_So, did you like it? Please review! And thanks for the PM! You know who you are! You really encouraged me! Bad news: It will be harder for me to update from now on because of school starting soon, but I will try to upload a chapter per month or so. I will only get to type like once a week, but maybe I can type it up quickly if I am encouraged enough! _

_Next chapter: Pointless. Just more Yazoo being upset with everyone and everything. I think the next chapter after it has some goodies in it, though. I have been too into Xenosaga right now to remember, but I am sure it must be good to make up for the one I will post next._


	6. Bad Day

_Hey, you guys! I have missed you! Sorry for the long wait! School has been a pain, but I hope to stick around for a while again, although my PC is acting up and I may have a hard time getting it up.I hope you continue to enjoy this story! All suggestions, ideas, and comments welcome! All ideas used will be credited by the person to whom they belong! Please review, even if it is not nice! _

**Chapter 6: Bad Day**

Later that day, Marlene and Denzel are playing a board game on the kitchen table. Cloud enters the room and approaches them.

"Hey, Cloud," Marlene smiles up to him.

"Hey, um, I want to talk to you two for a minute," Cloud says.

"About what?" Denzel asks.

"Well, I just want you two to be extra nice today because Yazoo's hurt really badly. He doesn't need to be upset or anything."

"Good! I hope he _**stays**_ hurt!" Denzel yells meanly.

"Denzel, he's good now."

"Oh yeah? Then why'd he poison your food this morning?!"

"It was . . . a misunderstanding."

* * *

In the upstairs bedroom, Loz and Kadaj are sitting around talking to Yazoo, who is lying in bed. 

"What's he so mad about, Yazoo?" Loz asks.

"Big Brother found out I wear thongs," Yazoo informs.

"So what about your injuries? Are you gonna be okay?" Kadaj asks.

"I have to stay in bed for a few days. Big Brother says that I'll probably be okay."

"What'd that guy do to you?"

There is a knock at the door, followed by Cloud's entrance. "How are you feeling?" he asks, closing the door behind him.

"A little better," Yazoo smiles. "But as soon as I'm able, I'm gonna make that guy pay!"

"What guy?"

"The one with the red hair."

"Reno? But he'll just hurt you _**again**_."

"Big Brother, don't you think I can fight better than that?"

"It _**is**_ the second time he's gotten you with that move," Loz reminds teasingly. "I bet 100 Gil he'll do it again."

"What move is it?" Kadaj asks, still wanting to know how Yazoo got hurt.

"We both jumped up and he kicked me down on my butt on the concrete," Yazoo informs.

"Oh, so you busted your butt, huh?!" Kadaj laughs, thinking it is funny.

"It's not funny, Kadaj!" Yazoo yells, his cheeks pink with embarassment at Kadaj's words. "It's the most painful injury I've ever had!"

"Well, we're not going anywhere today. You just get some rest. If you need anything, just yells or something," Cloud tells him.

"I need something to do," Yazoo informs. "I'm so bored . . . just laying here."

Cloud thinks for a moment, and then remembers that Marlene and Denzel are playing a board game. "I have just the thing. I'll be right back." He leaves the room, so Loz closes the door and locks it behind him.

"How 'bout we change those clothes? They can't be comfortable to lay in," Loz says to Yazoo.

"Um, okay," Yazoo agrees.

Loz gets into Yazoo's top dresser drawer and digs through it for pants. "Don't you have anything loose? These skin tight things won't feel good either," Loz comments, gazing upon the pants he has held up.

"No," Yazoo replies.

Loz pulls out a bright yellow pair of leather hip-hugger pants and lays them on the bed. Then he moves to the closet and looks through the shirts. He grabs a pink one with yellow stars on it and puts it on the bed with the pants. "Are these okay?"

"They're fine," Yazoo answers.

"Okay. I'll help you." Loz helps him change clothes while Kadaj watches birds outside of the window, and then puts him back into bed.

Cloud reenters the room with a square box in his arms and sets it on the nightstand. As he looks up while straightening before opens it, he sees Yazoo and an angry expression manifests on his face. "Yazoo, what are you wearing?!"

"It's, um-," Yazoo begins, nervous.

"Do you wear _**anything **_that's men's?!"

"Aw, come on, Big Brother!" Loz intervenes cooly. "It's not so bad is it?"

Cloud turns to Loz, still angry. "Not so bad? He looks like a woman! How can you let your brother run around like that?!"

"Well, he'd get all upset and whiney and moody and stuff if we didn't!" Kadaj butts-in. "Besides, women's fits him and suits him better, anyway."

"Fits him better? Those pants look like they're about to _**bust**_."

Yazoo, embarassed, covers his bottom with his hands, but can only cover about half of it due to its size. "Stop looking at it!"

"Well, that bright color makes it stand out like a giant Chocobo in Midgar!"

"G-giant . . . ?" Yazoo says sadly.

"N-no! I didn't mean--."

"Hey!" Loz yells. "Don't say that about Yazoo!"

"Get out!!!" Yazoo screams.

"I didn't mean-," Cloud says, feeling bad.

"Hmph! _**Jerk**_!" Kadaj adds.

"Brats!" Cloud returns.

Yazoo, still lying in his bed on his stomach, begins to squeak something into his pillow, so Kadaj leans over him, tucks his hair behind his ear, opens his mouth slightly, and listens carefully.

" . . . Uh-huh . . . . . yeah . . . uh-huh . . . . . . . . . uh . . . yeah . . . . . . . . okay . . . . . - . . .!!! Y-you have _**lice**_?!" Kadaj exclaims in shock, seeming to understand the squeaks.

"No!" Yazoo yells, and then continues to squeak.

" . . . . . Oh, you want some ice for your drink!" Kadaj says in relief. He straightens and heads for the door with Yazoo's glass.

"I can't believe you, Big Brother!" Loz grumbles loudly. "Yazoo only squeaks like this when he's really humiliated! You'll pay . . ."

"I said that's not what I meant!" Cloud reminds, looking at Loz like he could hit him. "Now shut-up about it!"

"Not until you apologize!"

" . . . Fine." Cloud gives in, tired of fighting with them. He walks up to Yazoo, but Loz stops him.

"You're gonna have to let Kadaj talk him into listening to you. He won't talk to you or listen to anyone but him when he's like this," Loz tells him.

"Then I have to wait?"

Yazoo squeaks something again, but Loz and Cloud fail to understand. They just stand and wait until Kadaj returns. When he finally does, he sets Yazoo's water back on the headboard and listens as Yazoo squeaks.

" . . . . Who? . . . . Yazoo -- . . . . . Yazoo, I can't hear you . . . . . . .uh-huh . . . . . _**what**_? You actually listened to someone besides me?! Fine! A-- . . . . . . . so . . . . . . . . . . okay," Kadaj says. "Big Brother, Yazoo is willing to listen to your apology."

Cloud walks over to Yazoo and next to Kadaj. "Yazoo, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way it sounded." Yazoo squeaks.

"Go on," Kadaj translates.

"I just hate that you wear those clothes. And they are too tight on you, but that doesn't mean you're fat. I just meant that a giant chocobo would really stand out in Midgar, not that you're big. So I'm sorry."

Yazoo turns his face out of the pillow and looks up at Cloud, red-faced from being smothered. "Really?"

"Yes," Cloud says, slightly airy with annoyance.

" . . . . Okay. I forgive you."

"Now let's play this game." Cloud opens the box, revealing Trouble, and sets it up. They all play until Tifa enters the doorway.

"Um, Cloud, Cid's on the phone. It's for you," she informs, holding the phone with one hand and clasping her other hand over the talk part.

Cloud takes the phone from her and leaves the room. Tifa walks inside and approaches Yazoo. "How are you doing? Any better?"

"A little," Yazoo tells her, a sad look on his face.

Tifa makes a sad face upon viewing his. "Well, how about some ice cream?" she asks cheerfully. "That always makes things better."

" . . . . . No," Yazoo refuses.

"Oh, well . . . . um . . . we have cookies."

" . . .No."

"Well . . . do you want **_anything_**?"

" . . . . I . . . . I want a book to read."

"A book? What kind of book?"

" . . . . . I don't know."

"Well, I'll go look for some good books for you. I'll be right back." Tifa leaves the room.

"This stinks!" Kadaj gripes. "What a boring day!"

"Boring? Hah!" Loz argues.

"Well, we're all just in here like that lame show I watched last night!"

"What? You want something exciting to happen?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay!" Loz pushes Kadaj towards the window, so in desperation to avoid falling out, Kadaj grabs the curtains and reclaims his balance, as well as pull down the whole curtian rod. Kadaj hurries away from the window and looks back at the mess.

"Uh-oh," Kadaj says quietly.

"You sure are in for it now, Kadaj!" Loz smiles excitedly.

"But it was you who made me do it!"

"But you made me make you do it."

Kadaj looks from Loz and back at the mess with a terrified look on his face. Afraid of getting into trouble, Kadaj opens the door to run out, but crashes staight into Cloud. "Ah, ah, um . . . ," Kadaj stutters.

Cloud pushes him into the room with him and sees the curtains and their rod lying on the floor and sighs. "I can't leave you all alone for a second, can I?"

"It was Kadaj!" Loz yells.

"It was Loz!" Kadaj yells at the same time.

"I'm dissappointed. It's not a big deal or anything, but that just shows how well behaved and mature you are. And to think that I'm leaving you all here with Marlene and Denzel tomorrow while Tifa and I go to an AVALANCHE meeting . . . ," Cloud explains.

"What?" Yazoo asks. "Can't we come?"

"No. It's business."

"Hmph! What do you think we are? _**Babies**_?" Kadaj asks.

"No. Not even babies act like you three. I don't know anyone who does. All you do is fight and yell until someone gets hurt or I put a stop to it. You really need to grow up," Cloud says strictly. "I don't know what happened to the curtains, but I can guess that it either involved name-calling or fighting.

"No. Actually . . . ," Kadaj begins. "I told Loz that I wish something exciting would happen, so he tried to push me out the window."

Cloud just sighs and shakes his head. "I'm going to go help Tifa with the bills. You just do . . . something unviolent. Like sleeping." Cloud leaves and Tifa enters with some books.

"Hey, I'm back!" Tifa says, and then sees the curtains. "Oh, um . . . I guess I should fix those . . ."

"N-no. I'll fix 'em," Loz tells her. "Just give Yazoo a book."

"Oh, um, okay. I brought one about flowers, martial arts, um . . . the phone book? Ah, restless leg syndrome guide, parenting tips . . . . "

"Just give him those two," Kadaj tells her, taking the flower book and the martial arts books from the stack in her hands. He hands them to Yazoo, so Yazoo takes them and lays them next to him.

"Thank you," Yazoo says.

* * *

_Sorry for the crappy chapter! The worst of the story is now over! I want your opinion on something: should I make a chapter where Yazoo gets kidnapped by Don Corneo? _

_Next chapter: The brothers babysit a child named Yosho (as well as Marlene and Denzel), a friend of Denzel's who seems to be causing severe mental anguish to them, especially Kadaj. With Cloud gone and Yazoo injured, what chaos will happen? _


	7. Reaction

_Hello, wonderful fellow fictioneers and readers! I have finally gotten up chapter 7 and I hope very much that you enjoy it! Please review when you finish reading it! I need all the feedback I can get, since I am working very hard on enhancing my writing skills. I have just been able to get the internet back today, so here you go! Thank you everyone who helped me with picking out nicknames for Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo!!!! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything in it. _

**Chapter 7: Reaction**

Three days later, it is breakfast time, so Loz is helping Yazoo down the bottom step of the stairs and into a cushioned chair at the kitchen table. Today, Yazoo is wearing hot pink tight capris, a light purple baby-T shirt with pink flowers on it, and pink tennis shoeswith purple ankle socks. Loz is wearing blue jean shorts that go just below his knees, a dark green muscle shirt, and grey tennis shoes with white ankle socks.

"We better not be having waffles again today," Loz gripes, sitting down on Yazoo's left.

"No, Tifa cooked eggs, biscuits, gravey, toast, and . . . sausage links," Kadaj informs, sitting on Yazoo's right. Kadaj is wearing a bright green short-sleeved shirt with blue planets on it, bright orange shorts that go to his knees, and green tennis shoes with white tube socks.

"Big Brother, why can't I sit over _**there**_?" Yazoo asks Cloud as he takes a seat at the end near Kadaj.

"Because Marlene, Denzel, and Xovenaj are sitting there today," Cloud answers.

A few moments later, the three children sit down together across from the three brothers: Denzel in front of Loz, Marlene next to him, and Xovenaj beside of her. As Tifa passes out drinks and napkins, Denzel and Xovenaj whisper together while eyeing Yazoo, making him nervous. They giggle together, and then pick up their glasses to drink. After getting their food and saying their prayer, everyone starts eating.

"Why's he sitting on a cushion? Does he think he's a princess or something?!" Xovenaj smarts-off, reffering to Yazoo.

"He's hurt," Cloud informs grouchily, not pleased to hear such a rude comment.

A few seconds later, Tifa clears her throat, causing Kadaj to look. "Today, Cloud and I are going out for a meeting with the other AVALANCHE members, so you all had better be on your best behavior while we're gone."

"Okay!" Marlene complies.

"That means no name calling or fighting," Cloud adds sternly.

* * *

Meanwhile at Shinra H.Q., Rufus is sitting at one end of the table, Rude at the other, Reno on one side, and Tseng and Elena on the other. They are eating an expensive, greasy breakfast -- Rufus' favorite. 

"Reno, I heard you beat-up Kadaj's brother pretty badly the other day. Tell me, how did you do it?" Rufus asks curiously.

"Well . . . ," Reno says, trying to hide his excitement. "We jumped _**way**_ up in the air and I kicked him down on his butt on the concrete, so he slid a long way on it and he didn't get up one he stopped. I walked up to him and he was cryin' like a baby and even had to have his other brother carry him!"

" . . . Well, I'm thinking of giving you a promotion. Rude, too, since he taught you that move." Reno's face lights up upon hearing 'promotion', and it is assumed Rude's does as well, as he is concealed with his sunglasses.

"Though he _**does**_ have a black eye!" Elena points out, causing everyone to look at Reno's face.

"Can _**I **_get a promotion if I beat someone up?" Tseng chuckles.

"Perhaps," Rufus smiles happily.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Cloud and Tifa are standing in the living room with some folders in their hands. Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, Marlene, Denzel, and Xovenaj are standing nearby to say goodbye. 

"Remember the rules, okay? I have a list on the fridge, along with the emergency numbers," Cloud informs.

"H-hey, Marlene," Tifa says, gesturing for her to come. Marlene happily does so, so Tifa crouches down and whispers into her ear: "I want you to try to get along with Kadaj and them, okay? Just get to know them."

"But, Tifa . . ."

"Try, okay?" Tifa stands up and waves her final goodbye to everyone, and then exits the house with Cloud.

"Well, I guess _**I'm**_ in charge now," Loz smiles while slamming his left fist into his right.

"Hmph! What makes you think _**that**_?!" Kadaj smirks.

"The list of rules on the fridge," answers Loz simply.

Kadaj hurries into the kitchen to check, so Loz crashes on the couch and grabs the remote. Denzel sits next to him and Marlene sneaks around the house. Xovenaj is left standing with Yazoo.

"No way!!!!!" Kadaj screams like a bratty child while stomping back into the living room. "It's not fair!" After everyone stares at him for a moment, he runs upstairs, into his room, and slams the door shut.

Yazoo sighs and strolls into the kitchen past Marlene. Once there, he leans in the doorway idely while facing the halls. He hears small footsteps approaching behind him and then the opening of the refridgerator, but he ignores them. After a few secons, he hears a voice coming from the source. "Um . . . excuse me," Marlene says nervously, standing behind him with a jar of sweet pickles in her tiny hands. Yazoo turns toward her shyly. "I-I can't open this. Will you please do it for me?"

"U-um, sure," Yazoo says, gently taking the jar from her. He tries several times to open it, but it does not budge. Marlene stares up at him and is dissappointed when in the next try it remains stationary and he looks at his hands like they hurt from twisting so hard. "I-I'm sorry," he says sadly, handing the jar back to her. "Why don't you ask Loz?"

Marlene continues to stare up at him silently for a moment, making him feel self-conscious. "Um, I like your clothes. You're really pretty. Especially to be a boy." Before he can say anything, she runs out of the room with the jar.

Yazooo looks at the other doorway and sees Xovenaj enter. Yazoo walks over to the table and takes his lime green cushion from his seat, and then looks up to see that Xovenaj is giving him a look very much like Kadaj's scarey one. Feeling intimidated, Yazoo walks quickly toward the doorway in which he had been leaning with the pillow in his hand.

"What's the matter?" says Xovenaj tauntingly.

Yazoo stops and faces him. "I . . . I'm going to . . . check on Kadaj."

"Is that right?" he asks fiercely, walking up closer to Yazoo. "I thought you were too _**injured**_ to walk!"

Yazoo's face goes pale as the nine-year-old child comes closer. "I-I can a little . . ."

"_**Really**_? Well, not for long!" Xovenaj grabs Yazoo by the left wrist, so Yazoo roughly jerks out of his grasp, runs into the living room, and hides behind the sofa on which Loz is sitting.

"Playing hide-and-seek, Yazoo?" Loz asks, turning his neck around to face him.

"N-no . . .," Yazoo says quietly, crouched down and peeking over the top of the sofa.

"Oh, person!!!" Xovenaj calls childishly, not knowing Yazoo's name, while entering the living room. "Come out and play!"

"Come on out, Yazoo," Loz tells him, revealing his hiding place.

"No!" Yazoo says to Loz, frustrated that Xovenaj now knows where he is.

"Aw, come on! Play with me!" Xovenaj demands.

"Go on, Yazoo! You'll love it!" Loz says, taking Yazoo by the arm while reaching over the back of the sofa.

"Xovenaj's a lot of fun," Denzel assures Yazoo while watching closely at Loz's dirty T.V. show.

Yazoo, not convinced, tries to break free from Loz, but Loz is so strong that he lifts him to his feet with one hand that is twisted over the top of the sofa. He then jerks him so that he is next to the end of it and falls to his knees.

"Come on!" Xovenaj urges, impatient. He jerks Yazoo up and examines him. "Hmm . . . I think I'll call you . . . _**Marshmallow**_!"

"Bwahahahahaha!!!!!" Loz laughs hysterically like a horse as Yazoo blushes.

"And I'll call you _**Twinkles**_!" Xovenaj adds, referring to Loz.

Loz stops laughing and gets angry, so Yazoo puts his hand against his lips and giggles like a little girl.

"Oh, and I just remembered!" Xovenaj announces. He kicks Yazoo in the butt, causing him to whimper and fall to his knees.

"Hey!" Loz yells, very angry. He gets up off the sofa, gets a hold of Xovenaj, and slams him into the wall.

Marlene runs up to Yazoo, who is on his knees on the floor, and stops. "Are you okay?"

"I . . . I think so," Yazoo says in a high-pitched voice, resisting crying. As he rises to his feet, he feels Marlene's hands on his arm, helping him. Marlene looks up at him nervously, and then Yazoo says, "Thanks."

Just then, Loz goes flying into the sofa, knocking it over and leaving him lying there.

"I'm gonna go see the other one now!" Xovenaj exclaims. He runs up the stairs hastilly.

Yazoo walks over to Loz, and then grabs his cushion he had taken from the kitchen to behind the couch nad sits on it next to him. "Are you alright, Loz?" he asks.

"Yeah, but that's one _**tough **_little booger!" Loz complains, sitting up and scratching the back of his neck. "Are _**you**_ okay?"

"I think so . . . though I _**am**_ in pain again."

* * *

Xovenaj opens the bed room door rudely, revealing Kadaj sitting on his bed with his arms crossed. 

"Knock next time, brat!" Kadaj yells.

Xovenaj smiles at Kadaj like he had Yazoo. He walks closer to him and stops three feet from his bed. Kadaj turns pale as Yazoo had and laces his finger in the front parts of his hair.

"What's wrong, _**Powder Puff**_? Want your mommy?" Xovenaj taunts evilly.

"No!! Stop!!!" Kadaj screams, leaning his head down, tighting his grasp on his hair, and squinting his eyes shut.

"Or would you rather let Sephiroth take you again?"

"_**NO!!! GO AWAAAAAAAAAY**_!!!!!!!!!!!" Kadaj screeches while weeping, as if in agony. "_**LEAVE ME ALOOOOONE**_!!!!!!!"

"Aw, does the baby need a hug?" he teases. As he reaches for Kadaj, Kadaj jerks away and screams again.

"_**DON'T TOUCH ME**_!!!!!!!!"

"!!! Kadaj!!!" Loz yells as he and Yazoo run inside. Yazoo gets on he bed with Kadaj and holds him close for comfort while Loz attacks Xovenaj. "Darn punk!!! Leave my brothers alone!!!" Loz yells as he pushes Xovenaj out the door and punches him so hard that he crashes into the upstairs bathroom. He then locks the door, locking Xovenaj inside. He hurries back into the bedroom and locks the door behind him.

"Kadaj, are you okay?" Yazoo asks. Kadaj is clung as tightly as possible to Yazoo, crying into his chest and his hands hooked on his back. Yazoo is embracing him lightly.

"_**DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME!!!! GET HIM AWAY!!!! GET HIM AWAY!!!! GET HIM AWAAAAAAY**_!!!!!" Kadaj grieves.

"Kadaj . . .?" Yazoo asks worriedly.

"_**DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME!!!!!!! DON'T LET HIM**_!!!"

"Kadaj, it's okay. Me and Loz are here now," Yazoo comforts softly, hugging Kadaj tighter and gently leaning his head on Kadaj's. "It's okay. Don't cry anymore."

Loz watches in horror as Kadaj weeps into Yazoo's chest. He has never seen Kadaj like this before. "Kadaj . . . ," Loz breathes, beginning to cry himself.

"_**HE TRIED TO TOUCH ME!!!! DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME!!!! KEEP HIM AWAY**_!!!!" Kadaj continues, now squeezing Yazoo so tightly that his slender body feels as if it could break.

"Kadaj, please calm down!" Yazoo beggs, aching.

"_**HE'S GONNA COME BACK!!!! HE'S COMING!!!!! HE'LL TOUCH ME!!!! DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME**_!!!!!!!!!"

"Kadaj, _**please**_!" Yazoo whimpers, almost crying, too.

"Get offa him, Kadaj!" Loz yells, grabbing Kadaj roughly by the arms, making him let go of Yazoo. Yazoo falls back onto the bed and gasps. "Now stop it!"

"_**NOOOOO**_!!!!!!!!" Kadaj screams, slinging his body around desperately to try to shake of Loz's grasp on his arms. "_**MAKE HIM STAY AWAAAAAAY**_!!!!!!!!!"

"Stop it, Loz. You're . . . hurting him," Yazoo gasps, still lying down.

Loz glares at Kadaj for hurting Yazoo, and then slings him down on the bed. Kadaj immediatley snuggles his pillow while still sobbing. Loz leans over Yazoo in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Yazoo replies, a little stronger. Loz pulls him up in a sitting position gently, and then hugs Yazoo.

There is a knock at the door, so Lzo cautiously approaches. "Who is it?" he asks.

"Cloud," answers the voice on the other side of the door. Loz opens the door and lets him inside. "Marlene called me and said--." He spots Kadaj and a worried look comes across his face. "Kadaj?!" He runs over to the bed, so Kadaj gets up and embraces Cloud.

"_**DON'T LET HIM IN!!!! DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME!!!!!! KEEP HIM AWAAAAAAY**_!!!!!!" Kadaj screeches again." "_**DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME, BIG BROTHER**_!!!!!!!"

"Kadaj? What's wrong?"

"That kid Xoven-whatever came up and bothered Kadaj. He's been screaming like this ever since," Loz explains.

"Xovenaj?" Cloud questions, wondering how a child like him could possibly cause someone to be so upset. "How . . .?"

"_**BIG BROTHER!!!!! I'M SCARED!!!! KEEP HIM AWAY!!!!!!! DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME**_!!!!!!" Kadaj continues, now sobbing into Cloud's chest.

Cloud returns the embrace while stroking Kadaj's back gently. "It's alright, Kadaj. I won't let him near you again," he assures, still confused.

"_**Oh, big Brother!!! I'm so scared**_!!!" Kadaj adds, finally starting to calm down.

"I know, Kadaj. Now why don't you lay down?" As Cloud lets go of Kadaj and tries to break free, Kadaj grabs him more tightly.

"_**No! Don't go**_!" Kadaj pleads pitifully, looking up at Cloud with tears streaming down his red face. "_**Protect me, Big Brother**_!"

"Loz will. I have to go back to the meeting now. And take Xovenaj somewhere else."

"No! Please don't go! You make me feel so safe!" Kadaj protests.

Cloud sighs, Kadaj's horribly swollen face and reddened eyes making him feel bad about leaving him. "Alright. Let me go call Barret." As Cloud advances toward he door, Kadaj grabs his arm. "Kadaj, you have to stay here, okay? I'm going to have to take Xovenaj somewhere."

Kadaj sadly lets go and wipes the tears from his sore eyes. "'kay," he sniffs. Cloud leaves the room.

". . . Hey," Loz says as he puts an arm around Kadaj's shoulders. "Everything's gonna be okay now, alright?" Kadaj nods in agreement.

* * *

_Well, what do you think? I originally was going to make this story about Kadaj, since I had already written so many about Yazoo, but it did not quite happen. I just love Yazoo so much! Anyway, the whole deal with Xovenaj will be explained quite a bit later, so hang in there and keep reading to find out! Please review! _

_**Next chapter:** Yazoo has something wrong with him and Kadaj is still having problems. Also, Yazoo bakes a cake with Marlene and Tifa!_


	8. Infection

_Hajimemashite and ohayou gozaimasu, wonderful readers! This is chapter 8 of "The Search for Avonej"! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and leave a review after you read it! If you are only a visitor and you read it, then thank you for reading, too! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own "Final Fantasy" or "Fruit Loops"._

_**Chapter 8: Infection**_

"Good morning, Kadaj," Yazoo smiles gentely as he takes a seat on the stool next to his younger brother at the bar. It is eight sixteen in the morning and everyone has already started eating but Yazoo.

Kadaj finishes chewing his bite of _Fruit Loops _before he replies."Good morning, Yazoo." Kadaj does not look at Yazoo; he stares down into his bowl.

" . . . Kadaj, are you okay? What's with the tone?" Yazoo questions. He takes his hand and swipes Kadaj's bangs out of his eyes and over to the side, revealing Kadaj's glassy eyes looking down into his bowl as he scoops some more cereal into his spoon. "Are you feeling alright? Or are you still . . .?"

"I'm fine," he says, uniformly. but his body shakes lightly upon his hair being touched. He takes another bite, so Yazoo sighs lowly and looks over to Tifa, who is raking the scraps from her breakfast into the garbage. Tifa continues until the plate is bare, and then sticks it into the sink. Yazoo then looks down at the bar counter sadly.

"Cheer up, Yazoo!" Loz says, somewhat pleasantly, as he puts a hand on Yazoo's shoulder. Yazoo looks up at him, and then Loz takes as seat next to him. "Y-Yazoo? What's wrong with your face?" he questions, surprised and slightly fearful.

"What?" Yazoo asks, going pale and feeling afraid. "My _**face**_?!"

"What is it?" Tifa asks, drying her hands and walking over to them. She looks at Yazoo's face and an expression manifests on her face as if a moogle suddenly turned into a mog. "Yazoo, are you sick?"

"I-I don't think so," he says, wondering what is wrong.

Cloud walks into the room from the living room and stops, wondering why everyone looks so confused and afraid. "Is something wrong?"

"Cloud, there's something wrong with Yazoo's face," Tifa informs.

Cloud walks over to Yazoo and looks at him. He has a light purple tent spreading from under his eyes and across his nose, as if sunburned purple. Cloud takes his wrist and feels of Yazoo's forehead to check for him being febrile. "He's not warm . . .," he says, not sure what to do next. He stares at the purple for a moment longer, and then asks, "Did you wake-up like that?"

"I guess so. I was too sleepy to notice when I cleaned up this morning," Yazoo answers.

"Hey! It's on his arm, too!" Loz points out. Sure enough, the same rash was on his left wrist, extending up narrowly to half-way up his forearm. Cloud takes his arm gentely and looks closely at the purple.

"Am I okay? Am I gonna die?" Yazoo worries.

"I don't know. I've never seen this before," Cloud replies. "Does it hurt, itch, anything . . .?"

"No."

"Did anything touch you out of the ordinary yesterday?"

". . . . Uh . . . ," Yazoo thinks. As he thinks of anything 'touching him', he remembers Kadaj's screaming about being touched, and that they were both afraid of Xovenaj. "Xovenaj! Xovenaj touched me! In here, he grabbed me by my wrist!"

Cloud's eyes grow fearful upon also remembering Kadaj's fit and thinks about Yazoo being touched instead. "Do you think . . . this is why Kadaj was so frightened?"

"But why is your face purple, Yazoo?" Loz asks him.

"I don't know," he answers.

"Kadaj, do you know what that is on Yazoo?" Tifa asks him.

Kadaj puts down his spoon into his bowl and looks up at Tifa as if in a trance. He has dark circles under his eyes, as if he has not slept in days. "Hmm?"

"Do you know what's wrong with Yazoo?" she repeats, smiling a bit at Kadaj's sleepiness.

Kadaj looks over at Yazoo and sees his face. "Yazoo . . . " he says, looking as if he could cry.

"Kadaj, what is that?" Cloud asks him, yet again.

"I . . . it's . . . !" he struggles, coming close to tears.

"Kadaj, don't be upset," Yazoo tells him. With his left hand, he reaches to embrace Kadaj, but Kadaj jerks back and hits him roughly on the side, causing him to fall onto the hard floor with a thud.

"_**DON'T TOUCH ME**_!!!!" He screams, crying again, almost as badly as yesterday.

Everyone looks over at Kadaj in shock, not quite understanding. Loz crouches to Yazoo's side, who is lying on his side on the floor and looking up at Kadaj hurtfully, and guards him from Kadaj in case he attacks again.

"Kadaj! Don't hit Yazoo!" Cloud scolds. Kadaj sobbs into his hands pitifully, so Cloud walks over to him and hugs him. "Is that rash what scares you so much?" he asks softly.

"Mmm," Kadaj sniffs.

"What is it? Will it hurt you?"

"I . . . I . . ._** I don't know**_!" he continues. "_**Don't let it touch me**_!!!"

Loz helps Yazoo up and stands away from Kadaj with him. Yazoo looks as if he is going to cry, so Loz begins to embrace him.

"Don't touch him, Loz!" Tifa yells frantically.

Loz jerks away from Yazoo in surprise, and then looks at Yazoo sadly. Tears form in Yazoo's eyes from having to stay away from his brothers. "I'm sorry, Yazoo."

"Yeah, don't any of you touch Yazoo. _**No one **_touch Yazoo," Cloud agrees, still hugging Kadaj closely. He looks over to Tifa and says, "Tifa, bring Yazoo to the bathroom and sterilize him. After that, cover his infected arm. Just don't touch any of it."

"Okay," she agrees. "Come on, Yazoo." Yazoo sulks over to her and they head to the bathroom.

"Big brother, is he gonna be okay you think?" Loz asks in concern.

"I don't know. I really don't know," Cloud says sadly. "We'll just have to keep a close eye on him and make sure none of us touch his rash."

* * *

A few hours later, Tifa walks into the kitchen and sees that Yazoo is sitting at the bar where he was earlier. He is sitting leaned over and playing with his hands on the countertop silently, so she walks over to him. "Yazoo," she says. He jerks his head up and looks over to her, startled, so she comes a little closer. "What's wrong? Why are you in here all by yourself like this?" 

Yazoo looks back down and sadly replies, "Big brother is training with Kadaj and Loz. They said that I was already hopeless, but that now that I'm sick or whatever that I'm also dangerous."

"Don't be so sad," Tifa tells him, sympatheticly. "They're just worried about you."

"But that's just it! I'm not weak and I know how to fight! They_** shouldn't **_worry!"

"Well, you should probably take it easy for today, anyway, in case you get to feeling bad." Yazoo still looks depressed, so she goes on to say, "Hey! I know what you can do!" He looks up at her hopefully. "You can help Marlene and I bake a cake! That's more fun than training anyway!"

"I . . . But, I don't know _**how**_ to bake a cake!" he tells her.

"It's easy! We'll teach you!"

"Well, okay," he says, a bit more cheerfully.

"Marlene!!!" Tifa calls. Seconds later, Marlene runs into the room and stops. "Marlene, would you like to bake a cake with us?"

"Yazoo, too?" she asks, her face lit up.

"Uh-huh!" Tifa assures.

"Okay!" she cheers. She and Tifa get the ingredients and pans ready while Yazoo stands there shyly, twidling his thumbs. Afterward, Marlene walks up to Yazoo. "Come on! You can help over here!" She takes Yazoo by his right hand and brings him up to where the stuff for making the cake is located.

"Okay, first we should wash our hands," Tifa tells them. The three line up and take turns washing in the kitchen sink, and then Tifa pulls her hair back in a ponytail. "Yazoo, do you have a ponytail holder?" she asks him while looping the holder through her long, black hair.

"No," Yazoo answers questioningly.

"I'll go get you one. I just bought a new pack when I went to the store last time." She walks out of the room and returns moments later with a pink holder. "Here." She hands it to him. "If you don't wear one, you might get cake in your hair. Your hair's too long to cook much with."

Yazoo stares down at the tiny ponytail holder in his hand, not sure what to do with it. "Um . . .?"

"Let me help." Tifa takes it from his hand and gets behind him. As he begins taking his hair up, Marlene watches in enjoyment while chills go down Yazoo's spine and his face turns red. Yazoo has never had anyone to touch him like this before besides his brothers. As she takes all of his hair around to his back, revealing his entire face and ears, he begins to feel nauseous.

"Tifa, I don't think he likes it," Marlene informs, seeing Yazoo's sick expression.

Tifa pauses for a moment. She relaxes the hair in her hands and ties it that way, the lax of it covering his ears lightly, since his ponytail is low. "There! How's that?" She walks around so that she is facing him again. She sees his face and says, "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I embarass you?"

"Don't be shy!" Marlene says. "You have a pretty face! Now everyone can see it!"

"Marlene--!" Tifa begins to scold.

"Th-thank you," Yazoo blushes, surprising Tifa.

"U-um, alright. Let's get this done," Tifa orders, changing the subject.

After putting all of the ingedients into a bowl, Marlene gets out the mixer and holds it.

"I'll be right back. You two go ahead," Tifa says, leaving.

"What is that?" Yazoo asks, looking at the mixer.

"A mixer. Watch!" Marlene pluggs it up and turns it on after putting it into the bowl. "See? It mixes up the cake ingredients!" Yazoo leans closer to inspect. Marlene's hand slipps, causing the mix to shoot up and a few tiny drops to land on Yazoo's cheek. Marlene gasps and stops the mixer, afraid Yazoo will be upset. "I . . . I'm sorry . . ."

Yazoo reaches up and touches his cheek with his hand, and then looks at it, causing Marlene to swallow. To her surprise, Yazoo bursts out giggling. He doubles over for a moment with his eyes squinted shut, and then raises back up and loosely covers his mouth with his hand as he continues to laugh. Marlene joins him.

Tifa walks back inside and is surprised to see Yazoo laughing, since he has hardly been happy the whole time he has been living there. "See? I told you you'd have fun!" she smiles.

Yazoo stops laughing and smiles at her. "Yes." He reaches over the bar, causing his shirt to go up in the back and his pants to go down, showing his thong. Loz comes over and pulls the top of his pants up over it to hide it.

"Be careful, Yazoo," Loz warns. "When you do that, everyone may see your whole hind-end!" Yazoo blushes and pulls his shirt down over it selfconsciously.

"Where's Cloud?" Marlene questions Loz.

"Cheater!" screams a voice from behind.

"I didn't cheat, Kadaj! I told you--!" another voice yells.

"Liar! I should've won!!"

"Brat!"

"Oh dear," Yazoo sighs, throwing the napkin away.

"I am _**not**_ a brat!!! I'm right and you know it!!!"

"Kadaj--!" A door slams and footsteps approach it.

"Well, anyway . . . ," Loz begins, diverting everyone's attention to him. "You sure do look pretty, Yazoo!" he teases. Yazoo blushes and looks at him angrily. Before he can make a come-back, footstepps are heard charging down the stairs, and then going through the living room and into the kitchen. Everyone in the room sees that it is Kadaj, so they move out of the way. As Kadaj runs through, he slips on some cooking oil that Marlene had spilled and falls on his rump.

"Owww!!!!!"

"Kadaj, are you alright?" Yazoo asks, half-caring.

"Of coarse I'm alright!" Kadaj yells grumpily.

"Kadaj!" Cloud yells, stomping into the room. Kadaj growls and looks down at the floor, still sitting, and waiting to hear his lecture. "Stop slamming the doors. If you do it again, you're spanked!"

"S-spanked?!" Kadaj asks in surprise, twisting his body around to see Cloud. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me," Cloud threatens, and then leaves the room and Yazoo helps Kadaj up generously, but Kadaj still fearing him, jerks away and walks to the other side of the small area.

"He slammed ya pretty good out there today, didn't he?" Loz chuckles, remembering training.

"Shut-up!" Kadaj yells.

"Hey! Stop fighting!" Tifa orders. "Can't you brats stop fighting for _**two minutes**_?!"

"Hey! I'm no brat, you _**filthy woman**_!" Loz yells at her.

Tifa stares at him with anger and shock. Marlene runs between them and yells, "Don't call Tifa names!" as she somps on Loz's toe. Loz groans in pain and draws his fist back.

"Stop!" Yazoo screams, wrapping both of his slender hands around Loz's arm. Loz looks over atYazoo angrily. "Don't hurt them, Loz!"

" . . . . . . Fine!" Loz thrusts Yazoo off of him and into the counter, and then exits the kitchen.

* * *

_Did you enjoy this chapter? It was very different from the written version, but that is a good thing because the written one had some dumb stuff in it. Please review! I love you! _

_The purple rash on Yazoo was inspired by the close-up shot of Yazoo's face in the Monument scene where he says, "We know . . . Mother is here." To me, his face looks really purple through there, so I thought maybe I could use that as something in this story to be something similar to Geostigma._

_**Next chapter**__: Reno and Rude babysit the brothers and Sephiroth comes to see if Yazoo has killed Cloud yet! What will happen? _


	9. Impatience

_Hiya, wonderful peoples of planet Earth . . . and beyond! Welcome to chapter 9 of "The Search for Avonej"! Thank you very much for reading this far! I really appreciate it! Sorry that some of the chapter titles are so crappy! I run out of ideas, since I write so much! Please leave a review! Even if it is nasty! Bring it on! I need some real criticism to toughen me up! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own "Final Fantasy" or anything in it._

**Chapter 9: Impatience**

The next morning, Tifa is unloading the dishwasher while Marlene and Denzel color in a coloring book at the bar. Yazoo walks inside and spots what Marlene and Denzel are doing, so he stops and watches curiously.

"Um, Yazoo?" Tifa asks, pausing from her work. Yazoo looks away from the crayons and over to her. "Has Cloud told you what's going on today?"

Yazoo thinks for a moment, but cannot recall Cloud telling him any plans. "No."

"Yeah, he seems to be pretty stressed out lately. I was afraid he'd forget."

"W . . . why is he stressed?" Yazoo asks, worriedly.

"Well, just . . . you know."

Yazoo becomes silent for a moment, feeling guilt deep down. "Ah, so what are we doing today?"

"We're all leaving you and your brothers here so that we can have our meeting. Cloud asked Reno and Rude to watch you all," she tells him, putting some glasses up in the cupboard.

"Watch us? And _**them**_?!" Yazoo questions, becoming angry.

"Yazoo, _**please**_ behave yourself!" Tifa orders sternly, stopping from her work again and turning toward him. "I know you don't like them, but there's no one else to watch you and you can't come with us!"

"Why can't we just stay alone?"

"Because you can't act your age! You all fight like a bunch of babies!"

"Well, I'll beat him to dust!"

"There had _**better **_not be _**any **_fighting! If there is, you'll _**really**_ upset Cloud!"

Yazoo feels guilty again, knowing that he upsets him. His anger fades and an expression of sadness manifests on his face. "Okay," he says weakly. He leaves the room sadly and heads for the stairs.

Tifa shakes her head negatively and sighs. "I hope they don't act too badly this time. They're making Cloud a wreck," she says as she rinses a cup in the sink that did not quite come clean.

* * *

An hour later, a car pulls into the driveway, so Marlene enters the living room with everyone else, ready to leave. A few seconds later, there is a knock on the door, so Cloud opens it, letting inside Reno and Rude. 

"Yo!" Reno calls as he enters. Yazoo immediately turns sour upon seeing him, but refrains from provoking a fight.

"You two are in charge until we get back. Don't hesitate to punish them if they act up. They need some real discipline," Cloud informs.

"Sure thing," Reno smiles.

"Alright, then, let's go." Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel leave the house and head for the van.

"Well, is anyone up for a little fun?" Reno asks cockily.

"What? You wanna fight?!" Loz questions, provoked already.

"No!" Yazoo yells in a very feminime voice as he grabs Loz's upraised arm, which has a fist on the end. Loz looks down at him, surprised that he does not want revenge. 'I told Tifa I wouldn't fight. It's really upsettting Big Brother."

"You guys . . . related?" Rude asks, noticing 'big brother' being said.

"Sissy!" Reno mocks.

Yazoo glares at him, wanting desperately to fight, but turns and enters the kitchen to avoid him.

"Hey! Don't you walk off like that!" Reno calls. He walks in and takes him by the unbandaged wrist as he tries to go into the next room. Yazoo stops, turns toward him, and angrily tries to unlatch his hand. "Now listen! Rude and I are in charge and you're gonna do as we say! If you don't, you'll be punished! Understand?!" Yazoo jerks away from him and gives him a dirty look. "Now sweep this floor." Reno hands Yazoo the broom out from a corner of the room, and then goes back into the living room.

"I think some serious work needs to be done around here! Just look at this place!" Reno exclaims to Rude, Kadaj, and Loz as he enters the room. "It's a_** disaster**_!"

"If this is a disaster, then what do you call your apartment?" Rude asks.

"Well, I guess you two had better get to work, then!" Kadaj says.

"Hmph! Sorry, _**brat**_, but that's _**you're**_ job!" Reno informs in a smart tone. "You have to . . . cook and you," he orders, turning to Loz, " have to mow the lawn!"

"Well, what're _**you**_ gonna do?!" Kadaj returns, crossing his arms rebelliously.

"Uh, we're gonna test the T.V. and see if it works," Reno replies. "Now _**go**_!"

Three minutes later, Rude leaves his recliner in the living room to go get some coffee. As he dodges Kadaj by the stove and reaches the coffee pot, he notices that the floor is still dirty and that Yazoo is nowhere in sight. After filling his cup, he gets back into the room with Reno.

"Reno," Rude says. "That guy isn't sweeping and I don't know where he is."

"What?!" Reno exclaims, jumping up from lying on the sofa. He goes through the doorway past Rude nad into the kitchen. "Hey, you! You know where your brother went?!"

"My name's Kadaj!" Kadaj tells him, who is wearing Tifa's frilly pink apron and oven gloves. "And Yazoo went upstairs."

Reno leaves the room and marches up the stairs. He slings open the bedroom door, revealing Yazoo sitting in front of the window on an attached seat.

"I thought I told you to sweep," Reno says cooly from the doorway.

"I don't want to," Yazoo replies with a tone rivaling Reno's.

"Well, do it anyway or you'll _**really**_ be punished!"

"Why should I?!"

"Because Cloud told me to make you work if you misbehave! Now do it!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Rude!!! Bring _**it **_up!!!" Reno calls.

Ten seconds later, Rude arrives witha suitcase in his hand. He lays it on the dresser and Reno opens it. He pulls out an outfit and holds it up so that Yazoo can see it. "You see this? You're gonna wear this while you work as punishment."

Yazoo's face turns beet red as he gazes upon the outfit: a maid dress. Reno then gets out spike-heeled shoes and white elbow-length gloves that match and puts everything on Kadaj's bed.

"I am **_not _**wearing that!" Yazoo refuses.

"Oh, I think you will," Reno smiles, along with Rude. "Because if you don't, you'll get quite a spanking from my electric rod."

" . . . Fine," Yazoo gives in. Reno and Rude leave the room to let Yazoo change. Four minutes later, he emerges.

Reno laughs hysterically as he sees Yazoo in the outfit. "You look just like a woman!"

Rude laughs as well. "It compliments you."

Yazoo, humiliated, stomps past them and down the stairs. They follow him to the kitchen, where Reno hands him the broom again.

"Y-Yazoo?!" Kadaj burst with laughter as he turns to see him.

"Shut-up, Kadaj!" Yazoo yells, taking the broom roughly. As he takes a step, he slipps on his heel and lans on his butt on the floor. Reno, Rude, and Kadaj laugh again, making Yazoo even angrier. He slowly gets back to his feet and begins sweeping.

A few hours later, Yazoo is on his knees in the kitchen floor, washing it with a scrub brush and a bucket of soapy water. As he starts on the last dirty spot, Reno walks through the room, leaving muddy footprints all over the floor. Yazoo looks up with his mouth open and a look of hurt and unbelievement on his face.

"Oooops!" Reno fakes. "Well, I guess you'll have to clean that, too."

Yazoo throws down his brush and rises to his feet angrily. "No, I won't! I've _**had**_ it!" he rebels. "I've swept, washed and dried the dishes, done the laundry, dusted and vacuumed the entire house, ironed your clothes, washed the windows, scurbbed the toilets, and washed this floor by hand! And all in this goofy outift!"

"Yeah, and now you can clean the floor again and then the upstairs bathroom," Reno tells him calmly, enjoying Yazoo's toil.

Before Yazoo can argue anymore, he slips on his heel agian and lands on his butt on the wet floor. Reno then tosses a new container of soap in his lap and begins to walk away. Infuriated, Yazoo jumps up, lifts the bucket of soapy water, and dumps it over Reno's head from behind.

"Why you little brat!" Reno screams as he turns back toward him, soaking wet. He grabs Yazoo and bends him over his knee, and then starts spanking him as hard as he can with his electro magnetic rod. "And to think that I was gonna tell Cloud how good of a job you did so taht he'd buy you a new bike!" he tells him as he whacks him.

"_**Oooow!! Owww**_!!!" Yazoo cries with every hit as electricity surges through his bottom.

After several hits, Reno slings Yazoo over his shoulder, carries him up the stairs, pushes him into his room, and locks him inside.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, Kadaj enters the bedroom to check on Yazoo. He looks around the room only to see that Yazoo is nowhere in sight. "Yazoo?" he asks, hoping for answer, but got none. He approaches the window and notices that it is not latched -- Yazoo has run away. Worried, Kadaj goes out the window to find his lost brother. 

As Kadaj walks towards the Midgar ruins, he hears footsteps and stops. He turns around and, hoping to see Yazoo, sees Sephiroth instead.

"Hello, Kadaj," Sephiroth smiles. Kadaj goes pale as he comes closer to him. "Where is Yazoo?"

"I don't know. I'm looking for him," he choaks.

"Then why don't we search together?"

"N-not a chance!" Kadaj disagrees. "I won't let you hurt Yazoo again!"

"And how do you plan to stop me?"

"Like _**this**_!" Kadaj unsheaths his Souba and charges at Sephiroth. Sephiroth dodges and slashes him across the back, causing him to moan. Kadaj then attempts to stab Sephiroth through the chest, but Sephiroth deflects the attack just in time and sends him crashing onto the ground. He jumps back up and swings madly at him, not caring whathe hit, as long as it was not himself, but Sephiroth deflects his sword again and slashes him down the arm. While Kadaj is being stunned by the pain, the sky begins to pour rain and Sephiroth slices him up the leg, across the shoulder, and then kicks him down onto the ground again with a thud. Kadaj lies there in the muddying ground and stares up at the blackened sky dispairfully.

"Hmph. I was expecting a bit more from my own remnant," Sephiroth says, dissappointed. "But what can you expect from someone who would disown his own mother?"

Furious, Kadaj manages to jump up once again, but Sephiroth hits him in the back and sends him on his stomach. He then begins kicking Kadaj as hard as he can in the ribs.

"Aaaaaaah!!! Stop it!!! Stop it!!!!!" Kadaj cries out, tears streaming down his face as his ribs begin breaking. Sephiroth laughs and continues, enjoying himself. "_**Stooooop**_!!!"

After several more hits, Sephiroth stops and sighs. "Pathetic." He walks away.

"I'm sorry . . . Yazoo," he moans helplessly.

* * *

Yazoo is walking through the Midgar ruins' outskirts while kicking the small pieces of rubble that with which he comes into contact. He is now wearing bright orange, tight, leather pants, a yellow shirt, and yellow boots, having changed before leaving. As he walks along, he sees a shadow loom over him, so he turns and sees tha it is Sephiroth. 

"Enjoying your walk, Yazoo?" Sephiroth questions "Because this will probably be the last one you'll ever have."

"U-um . . . I . . . . ," Yazoo stammers, walking backwards with his eyes wide with fright.

"You know, Cloud looks pretty healthy to me. What do you think?"

"No . . . he . . . I . . ."

Sephrioth takes Yazoo by the wrist and pulls himself to him so that they are eye-to-eye. Yazoo turns his face away as far as he can, too scared to look. As Sephiroth turns his face more towards Yazoo's, Yazoo squints his eyes shut. "I've given you plenty of time. Now it's time for you to feel some remorse for what you've done."

"No!!! Don't!!! Let _**go **_of me!!!" Yazoo screeches, his voice teary and feminine. He manages to jerk free, so he runs as quickly as he can through the ruins. He finds a crawl space that leads into a building and decides to hide in there. He stops running and quickly gets down and starts to crawl inside. He manages to squeeze through, until his posterior gets stuck in the space. Yazoo gasps and, panicky, starts to pull himself harder. Seeing that he is too big to fit, he tries to get out, but is now too stuck to do so. Desperately, he keeps trying to pull himself through the space and into the building.

"I see you can't quite fit," Sephiroth chuckles, seeing quite a view of Yazoo. "Did you **_actually think_** you could escape me?" he asks, walking up right behind him. "Well, I guess I've just proven to you that you can't."

Sephiroth starts kicking Yazoo in the rump as hard as he can. He does this until Yazoo spasms and gasps. Sephiroth smiles evilly. "I've found it." He then kicks Yazoo there thirty-three times, causing Yazoo major damage there. "Now, to top it off, I'll let everyone know who did this," he says cooly. He takes out his Masamune and carves a large "S" across Yazoo's bottom, and then some cuts around it for extra pain.

Yazoo screams in agony as Sephiroth slices him. Afterward, Sephiroth pulls him out of the hole and begins to slice him all over his body. "How does this feel, Yazoo?" Sephiroth asks cruely as he tears his skin and clothes to pieces. Yazoo screams chillingly with each and every slice. "This is how you make your mother feel every day." After slicing nearly all of Yazoo, he finally puts his bloody sword away and lifts Yazoo by the neck of his shirt. He slaps him across the face a few times, throws his body against the concrete wall six times, and then slams him on the ground. Yazoo loses consciousness.

* * *

_So, was it any good? Or was it just weird? Please review! Well, whether you review or just read, I shall continue to post this story if at all possible. If I did not, people who silently enjoy it would be left saddened and bored! I know. I have read stories on here that I thought were really good that were stopped because of the lack of reviews._

_**Next chapter**: After being horribly beaten by Sephiroth, what horrors await Yazoo?_


	10. Tragedy

_Hello, wonderful readers! To promote reading and love of literacy, I have typed this next chapter of "The Search for Avonej"! Actually, I am practicing in a fun way for my future career, which will hopefully be as a game designer. Anyway, I think this chapter will shock you, so please read and review! Seriously, you will probably have never felt so sorry for Yazoo in your life! All ideas are welcome and will be given credit to the giver if used! Thank you for reading! I have so far written fifteen chapters and am not quite done! Whoohoo!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or anything in it._

**Chapter 10: Tragedy**

Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep . . . "_**Aaaaaaaaa!! Eeeeaaaaa**_!!" Yazoo screams as soon as he awakens, greeted by excruciating pain, as his body jerks and spasms. He hears footsteps and then feels a syringe poke into his left arm as he opens his eyes. As he turns his face to look at the source of the syringe, he sees a doctor next to him. His pain settles as the doctor pulls it out.

"There. That'll help the pain," the doctor tells him, a pleasant tone in his voice. Yazoo gasps, wanting to say something, but does not have the strength to do so. The doctor looks at him sympathetically. "Every thing's okay now. You're at the hospital. We'll take good care of you."

"That's right," says a familiar voice. Yazoo looks over to his right and sees Loz standing next to him. Loz pushes Yazoo's bangs out of his eyes and dries the tears from where he had been screaming and crying. "Don't worry about a thing."

"Would you like to see Kadaj?" the doctor asks him. Yazoo looks at him and nods. The doctor pulls back the curtain behind him, revealing Kadaj lying in the hospital bed behind it, bandaged up around his torso. Yazoo gasps.

"I'm sorry, Yazoo," Kadaj tells him sadly, seeing the bandages all over Yazoo. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"W-what . . . happ . . .end?" Yazoo groans.

"He broke three ribs and got cut pretty badly. In a few weeks, though, he'll be fine," the doctor assures.

"I'm okay, Yazoo. Don't worry," Kadaj smiles.

Cloud enters the room and walks over to Yazoo, since he sees that he is now awake. The doctor steps back to let him next to him.

"How are you feeling Yazoo?" Cloud asks him.

"M . . . my butt hurts.

"I'm sure it does," Cloud sighs. "Well, do you need anything?"

" . . . Something to drink would be nice," he answers.

"What do you want?"

"Um, some strawberry juice, please."

Cloud leaves the room and comes back about five minutes later. He sets it on the table next to Yazoo's bed so that he can reach it and steps back.

"Thank you," Yazoo says. Yazoo sits up and gets a drink, and then sets the cup back on the table. Afterward, he tries to reposition himself in the bed to be more comfortable. As he tries to move his torso more to the middle, he finds that he is unable to move his bottom and upper legs.

"_**I-I CAN'T MOVE!! I CAN'T MOVE**_!!" Yazoo screeches while sobbing again. "_**IT WON'T MOVE**_!!"

"Calm down, Yazoo," Loz tells him.

"_**I CAN'T MOVE!! I CAN'T MOVE**_!!" he continues while flailing his arms madly. "_**WHY CAN'T I MOVE**_?!"

Kadaj looks over at him in horror. Cloud, upset, leaves the room. Kadaj watches him and sees that he is about to cry, so, feeling despairfully, he bites his lower lip and looks away, also unable to bear it.

"_**I CAN'T MOVE**_!!_** I CAN'T MOVE MY LEGS**_!!"

"Please calm down! We've done everything we can!" the doctor shouts so that he can be heard over Yazoo.

"_**NO**_!! _**I CAN'T MOVE**_!!"

"You get to have a cool wheelchair now! Now you can drive it around! It'll be fun! And you can get any color you want!"

"_**I DON'T WANT ONE**_!!_** I DON'T WANT A WHEELCHAIR**_!! _**I WANNA WALK**_!!"

"Stop it, Yazoo! You should be _**thanking**_ him, not yelling at him!" Loz yells, angry. "If it weren't for him, you'd bled to death!"

Yazoo stops screaming and the doctor sighs. "I know this must be hard on you, Yazoo, but there's nothing we can do. Your . . . rump is too damaged to fix. I'm sorry."

Yazoo grieves, so Loz hugs him closely and cries with him. "I'm sorry, Yazoo. I'm so sorry," Loz says softly while he gently rocks Yazoo.

* * *

One hour later, Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene walk into the room. Marlene runs over to Yazoo's bedside and sits on it next to him.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Marlene asks worriedly.

". . . Yeah," he answers.

"That's good," she smiles, though sadness is showing through her eyes. "When you come home, how about we color some more and bake another cake together?"

"I'd like that," Yazoo smiles gently.

"Um, Marlene," Tifa says. Marlene moves away from the bed and watches by Cloud. Tifa comes closer to Yazoo and opens a book so that he can see it. "I know you're upset right now, but it's important that you pick a wheelchair now so that you'll have it as soon as you can leave here, okay?" She points to a section on page 114. "You can have any of _**these **_that you like. They're all the same, just different colors. Yazoo looks carefully, and then points to a lime green one. "The green one? Okay." She takes the book away and walks over to Kadaj. "And how are _**you**_ doing?"

"Nnn . . . I'm alright. It hurts a bit, but . . ." he grumbles, having just waken up when everyone came to see Yazoo.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you all to leave." the doctor says as he enters the room with some equipment. "It's time for me to check out Yazoo again and make sure everything is okay."

* * *

Three days later, Yazoo awakens in his hospital bed and sleepily glances around the room. He sees Loz standing a few feet away drinking something until he spots Yazoo. He smiles and walks up to him.

"Good morning, Yazoo," Loz says happily. "Are you exciting that you're going home today?"

"Mmm," Yazoo groans sleepily, and then closes his eyes as if to go back to sleep.

"What's wrong, Yazoo?"

"I don't feel good."

"Aw, you're just weak. Come on. Let me get you outta that hospital gown so we can go home."

Loz takes Yazoo's gown off of him and begins putting his normal clothes back on him. Yazoo moans as Loz pulls his pants up on him. "My legs feel numb."

"Yeah, probably because you haven't moved them in so long," Loz explains. "Well, at least you can use your knees down, though."

After Yazoo has on all of his clothes, he begins to whimper. Thinking that he may have just bumped one of his many deep wounds, Loz sits down in a chair next to the bed and waits for Cloud.

"Nn . . . ! Nngh! Ah!!" Yazoo groans. "Ow!! Ah!!"

"Yazoo?" Loz asks, worried.

"OWWWW!! AAAAOOOWWW!!"

Loz runs out of the room and Kadaj awakens on the other side of the curtain. "Yazoo? Are you okay?"

Loz and the doctor enter the room and the doctor hurries over to Yazoo with a syringe. He pulls it out and sticks the syringe in one of the few places left and puts a bandage over it. Yazoo's pain lessens, but not by much.

"_**I NEED MORE**_!!" Yazoo screams "_**IT HURTS**_!! _**MAKE IT STOOOOOP**_!!"

"I'm sorry. I can't give you anymore. It's unhealthy for you to have so much drugs in your system," the doctor apologizes.

"There's _**nothing**_ else that can be done? He's in so much pain . . . ," Loz says, watching Yazoo sob.

"I'm afraid not. I'm sending some medicine home for you to give him every hour and you can put peroxide on his cuts now, but that's all I can do. Any more will make him very sick.

"_**AAAAAOOOOWWW**_!! _**AAAAAAAAAOW**_!!" Yazoo continues. "_**IT FEELS LIKE **_. . . !!_** MY WHOLE BODY IS **_. . . !! _**BURSTING INSIDE**_!!"

The doctor gently turns Yazoo over on his stomach, so Yazoo immediatley reaches his arms back and starts grabbing himself there, as if it will stop the pain.

Cloud runs into the room, seeming frightened by the screaming. "Why is it hurting so much?!"

"Because now he's experiencing the horrors of being conscious with hardly any drugs," the doctor answers solemnly.

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**_!! _**BIG BROTHER**_!! _**AAAAAAAAH**_!!" he continues, his upper body spasming, and screaming and crying so much that he is beginning to suffocate.

"Please! There must be _**something**_ you can do!" Loz pleads. "He can't just stay like this!"

The doctor sadly watches as Yazoo continues to scream in anguish, and then looks back to his syringe. "Well, perhaps a_** bit **_more . . . ," he gives in. He gives Yazoo a little bit more, causing Yazoo to whimper and jerk. "Now he _**absolutely**_ cannot have anymore for an hour. He needs off of these drugs."

"_**Nnnng**_!! _**Owww**_!!" Yazoo cries.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Cloud asks the doctor.

"Because he's such a mess and has such a complication there from being hit so badly, not to mention his terrible wounds," he replies. "It won't always be this bad, though.

"Ah!! Aaaa!! _**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooowwwwwwwwww**_!!" Yazoo screams.

"Yazoo?!" Loz yells, scared.

Yazoo begins huffing and sweating as if he had just run a marathon, and then his upper body goes limp as it hits the pillow and he is quiet except for his wheezing.

"Yazoo . . .?" Cloud asks, both relieved and worried at the same time.

"I'm . . . okay now," Yazoo gasps weakly.

"Take it easy now, okay?" Cloud tells him. "We're going home in just a few minutes.

"Yeah! And then you can be in your nice 'n comfy bed!" Kadaj yells from the other side of the curtain. Cloud pulls it back so that they can see each other. "And I guess I'll be right next ot you for a while," he continues, gesturing to his bandages around his ribs.

Yazoo smiles softly, but then frowns again. "Big Brother? What are we going to do about our mission?" he questions as the doctor leaves the room. "I can't . . . walk anymore."

Cloud is devastated. He knows that he has to keep up the search for Jenova cells, but it will break Yazoo's heart to know he cannot come. "I guess . . . maybe we can bring you sometimes. On our less dangerous destinations."

"Aw, you don't need to be doing all that fightin' anyway!" Loz adds, playing with a strand of Yazoo's hair that is lying against his pale face. "You need to find something you're better at. Like . . . cooking! And dusting!"

"But . . . I want to fight, too," Yazoo informs, depressed.

"Yazoo, you can't! Besides, is that really _**fun**_ for you? You're not meant to fight. You're much too delicate for that."

Kadaj makes an angry expression at Loz, mad that he would say that to Yazoo right now. Loz ignores him and gently takes Yazo by the hand, putting his hand where Yazoo can see it. "See your hand? Now look at mine," he instructs, showing his own hand as well. "See how mine is big and strong? That's because I'm a fighter. And see how yours is long and slender? That's because you should do something that needs those hands."

"Loz, leave him alone!" Cloud yells angrily.

"No, he's right, Big Brother," Yazoo sulks. "I should have seen that sooner. I'm the weakest of us. And . . . look at me. If I were meant to fight, then I wouldn't be lying here in this kind of shape."

"That's not true, Yazoo. You just need some training," Kadaj disagrees.

"How am I supposed to train in a wheelchair?! " Yazoo yells, beginning to boil up. "How am I supposed to do_** anything**_?! I'm worthless! _**Helpless**_!"

"Don't be mad. Lot's of people are in wheelchairs and still go on living. It'll just take some time," Loz assures.

"No!! I don't _**want **_a wheelchair! I don't want one!!" he continues, about to cry again.

"Who _**does**_?!" Kadaj asks.

The door opens and Tifa walks inside pushing an empty lime-green wheelchair with Yazoo's sitting pillow in the seat. Marlene walks in behind her. Yazoo looks over at it and continues.

"Get that thing away from me! I don't want it!"

"Then how do you plan to get around?!" Cloud argues.

"I can walk! I can!" he protests. "Turn me over, Loz!"

Loz turns him back over onto his back and backs up. Yazoo lifts his legs with his hands and moves them toward the edge of the bed, but the movement causes pain to surge through him. He gets his feet on the floor and pushes himself to a standing position by pushing against the bed, but his legs collapse and he falls into Loz's arms and sobs into them. Loz hugs him for a short moment, and then sets him on the edge of the bed.

Marlene walks up to Yazoo and looks up at his teary face. "Yazoo, why are you so sad? Don't you like your wheelchair?" she questions sadly.

Yazoo whipes some tears from his eyes and looks down at her. "No."

"But isn't this the one you wanted?"

"Yeah, but . . . I want to walk," he sniffs.

"Don't cry, Yazoo. Maybe someday you can. Then we can . . . well . . .," she says, causing Yazoo to look at her questioningly. "It won't matter! Because we can do the same stuff if you're in a wheelchair! Like blow bubbles, catch butterflies, play basketball . . . !"

"Oh, Marlene!" Yazoo exclaims, hugging her tightly while crying. "Why couldn't I see that before? I can still live!" he says happily. "Thank you."

* * *

_So did you like it or was it too sad or boring? I really wanted to try to break peoples' hearts, so did I succeed? Fret not! Things will work out for Yazoo in chapter 12! Until then, I need some help with chapter 11! I never could really decide on what to put, exactly. I want it to be about Yazoo living while in a wheelchair and something else, too. I do not really know anyone who uses one, so this will be a bit of a challenge for me. Any help is appreciated! Please help, wonderful readers! Oh, and did this chapter surprise you? Make you feel VERY sorry for Yazoo? Just curious on my writting skills. Later!_


	11. Coping

_Hello, wonderful readers! Today is your lucky day! You get to read chapter 11 of "The Search for Avonej!" Does that make you feel happy? I hope so! This is one massive story! So far, I have written 16 chapters! And they are going to be posted whether you read them or not! Hahahahaaa!! I apologize for the long wait. I have been busy working on concept art for a comic book I have been trying to make now for 3 years, so I have really cut down on typing time. Plus, I seem to have carpal tunnel in both hands and am really struggling at using them. __Thank you everyone who has read this story, reviewed it, or favorited it! It is very much appreciated! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy._

**Chapter 11: Coping**

Yazoo moans and blinks awake, startled to see that he is lying in the middle of the living room floor on his back. Remembering from the day before that he can no longer walk, he does not even attempt to get up, so he instead glances around for someone.

"Kadaj? Loz?" Yazoo says with sleep in his voice as he looks around while propped up on his elbows on the carpet. There is no sign of anyone. Just the sofa several feet away with the coffee table in front of it and the television set on his other side, far away as well. Feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable in the middle of the floor, he looks around for another option. He spots his wheelchair residing a few feet away from him, so he lies back down flat, outstretches his right arm, and reaches for it. Unfortunately, he is unable to reach it and cannot strain further without the use of below his waist.

"What's the matter, Yazoo? Need some help?" a familiar chuckle rings from Yazoo's left side. Horrified, Yazoo turns his head away from the wheelchair and spots Sephiroth smiling at him while holding his Masamune in his left hand.

"Please . . . ," Yazoo pleads pitifully.

"I don't think you've felt enough of Mother's pain. I'll do you a favor and let you feel more of it," Sephiroth tells him. Mercilessly, Sephiroth walks up to Yazoo and begins slashing him where he is immobilized, causing Yazoo to cry out.

"Yazoo! Yazoo!!" Kadaj and Loz yell. Yazoo cannot look for them for squinting his eyes shut in pain. "**_Yazoo_**!!"

Suddenly, Yazoo jumps up awake in his bed, but is feeling the same pain as before. It had all been a nightmare except for the pain. His body is tense while he bites his lower lip and squints his eyes shut in an attempt to fight the antagonizing pain. He lets out whimpers and grunts as he does so, breaking the hearts of his two brothers next to him.

"Kadaj, what should we do?" Loz asks, teary-eyed at the sight of his brother in such agony, as he stands between his and Yazoo's bed.

"Go get Big Brother!" Kadaj answers. Loz immediately storms out of the room without question. Kadaj scoots to the left side of his bed to be closer to Yazoo and looks over at him pitifully. He sees that Yazoo is trying his hardest to keep from crying, so he frowns and says, "Just let it out, Yazoo." Yazoo hears his younger brother and the sympathy in his voice, weakening him. This causes his teeth to slip on his lip and some tears spill from his eyes. Suddenly, Yazoo begins bawling in pain. "There. That's better. Don't be so hard on yourself, Yazoo."

As Yazoo continues to cry, Cloud and Loz come into the room carrying bags of medical supplies and shut the door behind them. Loz stays back, out of the way, while Cloud goes to Yazoo's bed side to help him.

"I'm going to give you your shot, Yazoo," Cloud informs seriously, looking down into Yazoo's tearful, purple face. "I'm going to have to turn you over, okay?" Yazoo makes a small nod as he whimpers, understanding. Cloud gently takes a hold of Yazoo's frail, weak body, careful to not bump any of his wounds, and turns him over face-down. As Cloud takes takes a syringe from the bag he carried into the room and begins to take down Yazoo's pants, Kadaj turns away while Loz holds Yazoo down.

"**_Nnnnnnnn_**!!" Yazoo cries as he is injected in the bottom.

After reclothing him, Cloud turns him back over and puts the syringe away. "There. You should start feeling better in a few seconds."

"Maybe you should stay in here until then," Loz tells him quietly so that his brothers cannot hear. "I'm afraid Kadaj is going to get hurt trying to take care of him. He's not in good shape, either."

Cloud looks over to Kadaj and his expression saddens. Kadaj is lying in his bed with his cover up to his waist with his arms lying idley at his sides. He is shirtless and below his chest his wrapped in bandages to encase his broken ribs. On his face are a few small bandages and a few small wraps are visible on his arms as well. He is looking over at Yazoo in guilt in worry with a tired and weak expression on his face.

Yazoo looks no better. He has his cover up to his chest, but his left arm was completely wrapped in bandages to cover his rash, which has spread across a small portion of his chest and down to his stomach. On his other arm, There are bangages everywhere, and where there are none, there are bold bruises. His face has minor injuries, but since he is not wearing any make-up at the moment, his rash is visible and his face is also red and swollen from crying. He is wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt with a rounded neck with yellow stretch pants for comfort. He looks over at Cloud at his bedside with sorrow in his despairful, painful eyes.

"Big Brother, I need more!" Yazoo strains through gritted teeth. Tears are still rolling down his face and he is still tense, though his is obviously not nearly in the pain he was previously.

"I can't give you any more for an hour, Yazoo," Cloud explains. "You know that. You'll just have to try to deal with it until then."

"No! It's not fair!!" Yazoo screams immaturely. "It hurts so much!!"

"Yazoo . . . ," Loz says sympathetically, coming over to his other side between him and Kadaj. He sits on the edge of Kadaj's bed, careful not to sit on him, and strokes a hand through Yazoo's long, silky hair for comfort. "He can't give you any more. The doctor said it's unhealthy. You have to be strong for us, okay?"

Yazoo continues crying lightly and slightly whimpering, so Cloud sighs. "I think I'll go see if Tifa needs any help with the kids. If you need anything, just give my phone a ring, okay?"

Just as Cloud approaches the door to leave, Yazoo yells, "This is all Kadaj's fault!!" causing Cloud to stop. "It's all his fault I'm in miserable and crippled for the rest of my life!! If he had just cared about me enough to fight a little harder, I wouldn't be like this!! Some brother **_he_** is!!"

Kadaj's heart suddenly feels like it has been struck with something sharp and hot, yet heavy enough to make it sink into his stomach. He feels sick, and a heat sensation rises up into his neck, causing his bottom lip to trimble and for him to choak into tears. He loves Yazoo so much, so dearly. He nearly gave his life to save him from Sephiroth, but failed. Yet, Yazoo blames him? Is this really his fault? Kadaj is deeply hurt by his words, perhaps more than ever in his life.

"**_Yazoo_**!!" Loz yells, absolutely furious. He slaps Yazoo on the face, careful not to touch his rash or knock any teeth out. Yazoo puts a hand on his face and looks down and away from Loz in more pain. "How could you say that about Kadaj?! You couldn't ask for better!! Look at him over there!! He has **_three broken ribs_** and is beat up from trying to save you!! And you have the nerve to say that about him!! He may not have been strong enough to save you, but he sure as heck tried!! You should be praising him and lovin' on him, not breakin' his heart!!"

"Kadaj?" Cloud asks, crouching to eye level with Kadaj on the bed. Kadaj is turned toward the wall, in Cloud's current direction, with his hair and hands over his face while he grieves and his heart wrenches. Cloud gets on the bed with him and puts an arm around him, and now carefully leans him against him. "Don't cry, Kadaj." Kadaj only continues, so Cloud decides he will continue to try to calm him down, even though he is disconfident in his abilities. "Those were really cruel things for him to say to you. I'd bust his mouth and whip him for it if he wasn't hurt. But that's just it. He's hurt. I don't think he really meant it. He's in a lot of pain right now and I think he's letting it out on **_you_**."

Kadaj continues to sob and squeak his breath occassionally, but has removed his hands from his face and is clinging to Cloud closely and tightly. He wipes some tears from his eyes and manages to asks shakily, "Big Brother, do you think it's my . . . my fault? Do you blame me f-for Yazoo being h-hurt?"

Cloud looks down at Kadaj's red face with sorrow, understanding the guilt that Kadaj must feel. "No. You did everything you could. You only have a third of Sephiroth's strength. It's not possible for you to defeat him alone. It was a brave and very nice thing you did by trying to save him. Loz is right by saying those things to him just then."

"B-but! He **_hates_** me!" Kadaj cries, clinging to Cloud tighter. "He**_ hates_** me, Big Brother! We've b-been through so much together! Traveling, s-searching for Mother, a-a-and now this . . . ! I just can't **_bear_** it!"

Cloud embraces Kadaj tighter, but not too tight. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you. He's just . . . going through a lot. Just give him some time. I'm sure everything is going to be all right."

"No . . . ," Kadaj says sadly, looking up at Cloud with teary eyes. "You're not gonna leave me, are you?" he asks, noticing how Cloud always ends a conversation similar to that before leaving.

"No," Cloud tells him. "**_You_** need me right now. I'm sure Tifa's fine, and Loz seems to be doing a good job with Yazoo, so I think I'll stay right here for a while," he assures, smiling slightly. Kadaj smiles back, feeling loved. He gets in a more comfortable positon against Cloud and they slowly fall into a nice, peaceful, bonding conversation.

Next to them, Yazoo is lying in his bed with a sick, weak look on his pale face. Loz is stroking his face and hair with a hand wearing a thin, soft glove to keep him calm while Yazoo stares up at him with glossy, swollen eyes. Every few seconds, Loz whispers to him things such as, "Everything's fine now," "It's okay, Yazoo," "I'll take good care of you," while smiling gently. As Loz tells him something about loving him, Yazoo glances over to where Kadaj is sitting with his back to him and casts him a bitter scowl.

* * *

Two months later, Tifa is cooking some lunch and Cloud is rading _The Shinra Times_ at the kitchen table while drinking some soda. Denzel is sitting next to Cloud boredly.

"Cloud, when are you going to get those Jenova cells?" Tifa asks as the food sizzles. "Don't Kadaj and them need to give them to that child?"

"I don't know," Cloud sighs, turning to the next page. "I know Yazoo would want to come, and I don't know when we'll be going to get them. It may be too dangerous for him."

"Well, you **_have_** to do **_something_**! I can't imagine not being whole!"

* * *

"Watch out!" Loz screams in panic as he puts a hand on top of Yazoo's head, scaring him. Yazoo turns his neck enough to see him and makes an angry face. Loz laughs, and then says, "Wanna play some cards?" He walks around in front of Yazoo to save him the trouble of turning his wheelchair around.

"No," Yazoo sighs, leaning his head in his hand, his elbow propped on his chair's arm. "I'm tired of cards."

"Then . . . do you wanna play a board game?"

"No."

"Um, how about we draw pictures?"

"No."

"Well, what do you wanna do then?"

"I want to go somewhere," Yazoo tells him.

"Go somewhere? You mean . . . **_out_**?"

"Yeah. I haven't been since . . . ," he reminds, looking down at his wheelchair.

"But, Yazoo, you . . . ," Loz trails off worriedly.

"I need some letters mailed. Why don't you two run them out to the post office for me?" Cloud butts-in, entering the living room with them.

"But Yazoo can't . . . I mean . . . ," Loz struggles.

"He'll be fine, as long as you stay with him."

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Yazoo cheers excitedly.

Cloud gets some letters off of a shelf in the room and hands them to Yazoo. "Don't lose these, okay? And get out what's already in our box and bring them home."

"Okay," Yazoo says, accepting the letters.

"Just take your time and enjoy it. And make sure you stay with Loz at all times."

"Alright."

Loz pushes Yazoo through the house and outside the door. He then pushes him up on the sidewalk and toward town.

"It's so nice to be out of the house again," Yazoo smiles, admiring the Planet.

A few minutes later, they go inside of the post office and up to the drop box. Yazoo is unable to reach it, so Loz puts the letters in for him. After that, Loz pushes Yazoo over to Cloud's P.O. box and lets him open it. Yazoo gets the mail out excitedly, having never done it before, just watching either Cloud or Tifa do it, and looks through it to see what it is while Loz locks the box back.

"What are these, I wonder?" Yazoo says in ponderation, inspecting the envelopes. "I never thought to ask Big Brother. They have his name and address on them and some weird address."

"I don't know," Loz shrugs.

"Do you think someone breaks into that box and puts his address in it for him in case he forgets?" Yazoo continues, flipping through the envelopes with suspicion. "But why would anyone think him so stupid?"

"I don't know, Yazoo," Loz huffs in annoyance. "Just ask him when we get home."

Yazoo continues to observe the envelopes as Loz pushes him out of the building. "Hmm . . . but Big Brother made us put some like this in a big box . . . and this one has **_Tifa's_** name on it . . ."

"Just shut-up about the things!" Loz yells. Yazoo looks down sadly, his feelings hurt. "I mean . . . does it really matter?" Loz says softly, feeling bad for yelling at him.

" . . . . Why are you heading back home?"

"Because that's where we're going," Loz replies simply.

"But . . . I want to look around town!"

"We can't. We have to go home."

"But Big Brother told us to take our time! I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we took a short walk!" Yazoo reminds.

"No! Now we're going home!"

Yazoo puts his hands on his big wheels and tired to stop Loz from pushing him. "No! I don't **_want_** to go home yet!" He tries to hold the wheel still with all of his might, but is unsuccessful against Loz's strong push. "Stop it, Loz!" He continues trying to stop it, not ready to give in.

"No! We're going home!" Loz yells, pushing harder.

"But I haven't left the yard in two months! I want to look around!"

"No, Yazoo! You'll just get hurt!"

"No I won't! **_You're_** with me!" Loz silently keeps pushing to Yazoo's whimpers as he struggles harder to stop his chair. "Stop pushing me!"

"Hey, there!" a middle-aged man exclaims to Loz. "Don't mistreat that poor girl!"

"Yeah! You bully!" a little girl in a purple dress adds. It seems as if the whole town is surrounding Loz and Yazoo.

"Butt out!" Loz yells, furious. "You don't understand!"

"Is that guy being mean to you, young lady?" a black-haired guy asks Yazoo. Yazoo blushes upon being called a girl again. "You really shouldn't take advantage of handicapped people, jerk!" he yells to Loz.

"Fine!" Loz yells, letting go of the wheelchair handles. "You can push yourself now, Yazoo!"

"Fine!" Yazoo returns. He then pushes himself across the street and Loz follows.

Fifteen minutes later, Loz and Yazoo arrive home and enter the living room. Cloud comes into the room upon hearing them enter.

"Did you send the letters and check the mail?" Cloud inquires.

"Yes," Yazoo answers. He hands the letters to Cloud and watches him curiously, wanting to know what they are.

Cloud glances through the mail and stops upon seein a blue envelope. He freezes, and then opens it. He pulls out the letter and begins reading it. Very quietly and seriously, he sits in his chair and reads it for a few minutes. "Yazoo, it's from the hospital. It seems they have some news for you."

* * *

_So, was it any good or not? Sorry, I do not know anyone in a wheelchair, so I kind of struggled. I hope I did it okay. It was kind of a two-fold chapter. What do you think about Yazoo feeling so hateful toward Kadaj? I hope that was a good thing. Please send a review! Just write, "I read it" if you want! Please?_

_**Next chapter:** What news does the hospital have for Yazoo? Is it a way to allow him to walk again, or could it be that they discovered there is something more wrong with him? You will just have to read chapter 12 to find out! _


	12. Hope

__

Hello, good people! Welcome to chapter 12! I want to thank all of my readers and reviewers for making all of this hard work worth while. I have had a complaint that the characters are very OoC, so I have tried to go back and revise the story slightly, but had a hard time seeing where I should do so and it is also hard to help at this point, since I have already written this chapter, but I tried. Hopefully this will cause for a better experience and this story is not totally terrible. Please read, review, and enjoy chapter 12 of The Search for Avonej. The next chapter gets back to how the story was before Sephiroth destroyed Yazoo's life, so if you hate this 'Yazoo hurt his be-hind' stuff, this is the last chapter focused on it.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or Parenting Magazine._

**Chapter 12: Hope**

Yazoo stares over at Cloud, worried about the news. He swallows as countless horrible thoughts race through his mind of what it could possibly say. "What . . . does it say?" he dares, slowly.

"It says . . . that they may know of a way to enable you to walk again," he says seriously, and then smiles.

Yazoo's face lights up and he gasps happily. "Oh, Big Brother! Please! Let's go right now! I can't wait to walk again!"

"Well, it's not exactly all happy, Yazoo," Cloud informs, serious again. "It's . . . _**surgery**_."

"S . . .surgery?" Yazoo asks, frightened. "O-oh . . ."

"But it'll be worth it. Once it's over, you'll probably be able to walk and move normally again."

"Well then, let's go."

"Um . . . how about in the morning? That way, you can get an early start on your surgery."

"Okay," Yazoo sighs.

* * *

Later that day, Tifa is washing the bar counter with a dish cloth when Cloud enters the room. She stops and faces him. "Oh, Cloud! Marlene told me the good news about Yazoo!" she smiles. "I'm really happy for him. He's so pitiful in that wheelchair . . ."

"Tifa, that surgery . . . it's pretty rough. Not deadly, but . . . rough. And the success isn't really guaranteed, either," he tells her as they sit down next to each other in a bar stool.

"But . . . you're still going to let him have it, right?"

"Of coarse. He'd do just about anything to be able to walk again."

Tifa stares silently down at the counter ponderously. "Cloud . . . what exactly do you mean by 'rough'?"

"It's extremely painful. He won't even be able to sit up to eat for a day or two afterwards. They'll have him hooked up to a big I.V. for nourishment," Cloud explains. "The worst part is that he'll be unbearably bruised inside and out, and the doctors will be working on him and stuff after the actual surgery."

Tifa's face fills with anxiety as she thinks about poor Yazoo going through all of that. Daringly, she asks him, "What if the surgery is unsuccessful?"

"Then he'll be in that kind of pain for the rest of his life _**and **_be in a wheelchair."

"Does he know all of this?"

"No. I didn't want to scare him."

"Cloud, you can't let him go through with this! He can't handle it!"

"Of coarse he can! He's stronger than you think! Besides, we have to take a chance! We can't let him go handicap for the rest of his life when there's a chance he can be fixed!"

"But he'll have to go through having to restrengthen and retrain his legs and everything!"

"It'll be okay, Tifa," Cloud says gently, his arm around her. "He'll be fine. He'll have a private room with the insurance I got for him and he'll have all of us. I'm sure he'll be fine."

* * *

The next day, Yazoo has just gone through surgery and everyone is waiting outside in the waiting room. As Yazoo regains consciousness, he feels some pain and moans. The doctors turn their attention back to him, hearing him.

"He's awake," a mustached doctor slurs.

"Already?" a female asks.

"I guess we'll just have to give him the shot anyway," a young man adds.

The mustached doctor takes a six-inch long syringe from his desk and walks over to Yazoo clumsily, as if slightly intoxicated or in need of sleep. He raises up the bottom of Yazoo's hospital gown and roughly sticks the syringe in him.

"Nnnnnnnn!! Aaaaaaaaah . . . !!" Yazoo cries in a moan as he squirms in pain. As this newly acquired pain stings, he also feels worse stings coming from nearby, so he desperately reaches his hands back in an attempt to remove it. His hands bump a couple of small syringes stuck in his posterior, so the young man approaches him quickly.

"Don't mess with those Yazoo," he warns softly, but urgently, forcing Yazoo to place his hands to their former location. "If you do, it'll mess you up."

Yazoo's lower lip trembles, even though the doctor cannot see it from being behind him. "But . . . it . . . h-hurts," he whimpers, and now begins to cry lightly.

"Aw, don't cry," the man tells him, coming up to him where they can see each other. "I know it must hurt. The worst is almost over though, okay? You've slept through most of it. And soon, you'll get to see you're family," he comforts. "Does that sound good?"

Yazoo sniffs and makes a squeaky noise from his crying, followed by a small nod. The man smiles and walks back over to the other two doctors in the room.

* * *

A couple of hours later, in the waiting room, Kadaj is flipping through an out-dated _Parenting Magazine_while Loz is sniffing about Yazoo next to him. Fed up with his whining, Kadaj smacks Loz over the head with the book. "Shut-up, Loz! This is hard enough!"

"But he **_must_** be in pain!" he cries, his left hand now covering his sore head.

"Well, you're giving **_me _**a headache!" Kadaj snaps.

"Kadaj, please calm down," Tifa calls to him, sitting across from him and Loz with Cloud. "This is hard on **_all_** of us, okay?"

Kadaj sets the magazine down and turns away from Loz with his arms crossed and his body sank down his seat, upset. Loz turns the opposite way and continues whining.

Footsteps are heard entering the room, so Cloud looks over at the direction from which they are coming. He sees that it is the main doctor, so he leaves his seat, as does Tifa, and they walk a few feet to him.

"We're done with him for today. If you want, you can see him, although you should be warned: my three assistants say he's taken it pretty hard. I've just seen him and he is very weak and is in a lot of pain," the doctor explains, his brown eyes looking at Cloud seriously through his glasses.

"Will he be able to walk?" Cloud asks sadly.

"I'm afraid we won't know for sure for about three days. He needs to heal for that long before he tries to move," he replies, scratching the front of his neck as if he is nervous. He clears his throat and carefully pushes a few strands of his messy brown hair out of his eyes.

"Is Yazoo okay?" Kadaj asks from behind with a very worried expression on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. You're brother's fine," the man says, his voice sounding differently from before. He quickly clears his throat and begins to sweat nervously, and now begins fixing his tie. Tifa starts staring at him, disturbed and not quite sure what to think.

Kadaj looks questioningly at how he knew Yazoo was his brother, but quickly shrugs it off, figuring someone must have told him, or perhaps he just guessed, since they looked a lot alike. Cloud turns to him sternly and tells him, "Every thing's fine, Kadaj. Now go back over there while I go see Yazoo."

"But . . . ," Kadaj says sadly. "Okay." He walks back over to his seat next to Loz, who is still whining, and sits.

Cloud follows the doctor all of the way to Yazoo's room and goes inside. He sees that Yazoo is lying weakly on the bed face-down with cover up to his shoulders. He walks over to him, causing Yazoo to look up.

"How are you feeling, Yazoo?" Cloud comforts, slightly patting him on the back.

"Mmm . . . ," Yazoo moans.

"The worst is over now. Soon, maybe you'll be walking again." Yazoo lies there quietly while Cloud comforts him. "Do you need anything?"

"N . . . . no," Yazoo mumbles. "I just . . . don't feel good."

"The doctors are taking good care of you. Just relax, alright? We'll see what happens in a few days." Cloud strokes his hair, and now remembers something important. "Oh, and don't be shy about asking for things. The doctors don't mind taking care of you. You're a patient and that's their job, so don't suffer for no reason, alright?"

"'kay," Yazoo slurs.

* * *

Three days later, Cloud, Loz, and Kadaj come into Yazoo's hospital room and are pleased to see that he is awake. Around his bed are flowers, a stuffed chocobo, and a get-well card Marlene made for him, making his space look happy and inviting.

"Good morning, Yazoo," Loz smiles as they approach him.

"Good morning," Yazoo returns, lying on his back under the covers, seeming somewhat cheerful, especially considering what he is going through.

"It's time to see if you can walk, Yazoo," the main doctor tells him from across the room, standing with his arms crossed over his chest. "But before that, I'll let you get dressed."

Cloud, Kadaj, and the doctor leave the room to let Loz help Yazoo dress. Loz puts him in some unfamiliar clothes, but they look like his style and Yazoo is still feeling rather weak, so he decides to not comment and instead cooperates. When they finish, Cloud, Kadaj, and the doctor return. Yazoo sits on the edge of the bed with his legs hanging over, waiting for the doctor's instructions before attempting to try to move anything.

"Okay, Yazoo," the doctor says as he walks up to him. "I want you to try to move your legs, okay?"

"Okay," Yazoo says worriedly. Cloud, Loz, and Kadaj stare, silently praying that he can. Yazoo's leg slowly moves upward so that his knee is beginning to reach his chest, and it drops suddenly.

"Good. It's just difficult at first. Now try the other," the doctor orders. Yazoo, a smile on his face, does so and succeeds, so smiles cross Cloud, Kadaj, and Loz's faces as well. "Now, if someone will help you to your feet . . . "

Loz comes over to his younger brother and carefully helps him onto the floor on his feet. Yazoo stands there wobbly, so Loz stays next to him in case he falls.

"Now, try to walk all the way over to your brother here, okay?" the doctor instructs, gesturing to Kadaj, who is standing about ten feet from Yazoo.

Yazoo slowly moves his leg to take a step, and now the other, but fall backwards. Loz catches him before he hits the floor and helps him get his balance back.

"Come on, Yazoo! You can do it!" Kadaj inspires.

Loz lets go of Yazoo and lets him step again, but he falls back and, just an inch from hitting the floor, Loz catches him and brings him back up.

"This feels . . . really awkward," Yazoo tells Loz, who is holding onto his arms protectively.

"You're just not used to it," Loz replies. "Now try again." Loz releases Yazoo, so Yazoo takes three more steps forward before Loz has to catch him again.

"Well, it looks like you'll be fine with a bit of practice," the doctor observes. "You can go home now if you'd like."

"Thank you," Yazoo tells the doctor, and now slowly, with Loz's help, walks over to him and hugs him, surprising the doctor. "Thank you so much! I was so miserable! And now . . . ! Now I can walk again! Thank you _**so**_ much!" he says with deep affection in his voice.

"You're welcome, Yazoo. Anytime you're sick or anything, come see me, okay?"

"Okay."

Yazoo gets into his wheelchair, for hopefully the final time, and the group leaves the room. The doctor shuts the and locks the door behind them, and now takes off his wig, revealing long, black hair, and wipes his sweaty brow. "Heh, he'll be pleased to know I got the information he wanted. Heh heh heh . . . "

* * *

"There you go, Yazoo," Loz says as he puts Yazoo in bed. "Now take it easy while Tifa fixes lunch, okay?"

"Loz?" Yazoo asks.

"Hmm?"

"Why am I in new clothes?" he finally asks.

"Because you're too big for your old ones," Loz quickly explains, and now leaves the room in a hurry before Yazoo can ask anything more.

Because he is too big? Yazoo is frightened by Loz's words. Regardless, Yazoo rolls out of his bed and crawls over to the full-body mirror in front of the foot of it. He pulls himself up with the bed and looks at himself in his orange shirt with yellow circles on it and his new yellow leather pants with orange circles on the bottom of the legs. He immediately notices that his hips are much larger than before, so he traces them with his hands slowly with his mouth agape in horror. He now turns around and looks over his shoulder and sees that his bottom his also much larger. What had they done to him? His face turns crimson and he screams.

Kadaj walks into the room and laughs. "You've got quite a bon-bon, don't you?!"

"S-shut-up!" Yazoo cries, holding on to the bedposts, shaking and blushing horribly.

Tifa comes into the room and walks over to Yazoo. "Yazoo, why are you out of bed?" she asks in alarm.

"Because Loz said I was too big for my old clothes and I wanted to know what he meant," he sniffs. "H-how did this happen?! Why am I so big?!"

"The surgery required it. The doctor said with some work, it can go down and firmer to almost the way it was before," Tifa explains.

"It's so embarassing! It's enormous!" he whines.

"Well, at least you can walk now," Kadaj tells him.

"Kadaj's right. Don't worry about it. No one's perfect," Tifa comforts. "Now lay back down, okay?"

"But . . .," Yazoo whines again. "And it feels so heavy. Like I'm going to fall on it." As Yazoo says this, he realizes something. "That's why it was so hard for me to walk at the hospital earlier. . ."

"Well, I'm sorry, Yazoo. You'll just have to work and lose some weight if it bothers you that much," Tifa tells him unfeelingly. Just as coldly, she leaves the room.

"What?! Kadaj yells. "How could she?! She doesn't even care!" Kadaj walks over closer to Yazoo and tells him, "Well,**_ I_** do! And **_I'll _**help you, Yazoo!"

* * *

Downstairs, Tifa stomps into the kitchen, alarming Cloud at the sink. "I can't believe him! All he does is whine and cry about something!" she complains while grabbing the broom. "I'm sick of it! He's making me crazy!"

"Who, Yazoo?" Cloud asks. "Well, he's had a hard time. Especially since . . . you know."

"I'm so tired of them being here! It's like we're rearing babies and we're not even married yet! I'd like to have some time away from them!"

"Tifa, you know they're not leaving to go with Aerith until they're whole," Cloud reminds.

"And why **_aren't _**they whole?!" she scolds accusingly. Loz listens through the door curiously. "You should have gotten them out of here a long time ago! They're bad influences on the children and everything!"

"Tifa, you know it's not that simple. We have to find Jenova's cells and then find that child . . ."

"You just don't get it, do you?!" Tifa screams, now crying. "You never spend any time with **_me_**! It's all about **_them_**!"

"You know I'm doing my best to get them out! It's important that I spend time with them before they leave and --!"

"Just forget it, Cloud! If you care more about some pieces of your enemy than you do me, fine!! I'm leaving!!" Tifa stomps out of the room, so Cloud follows.

"Tifa! Tifa!!" Tifa slams the front door in his face and hurries to her van. He opens the door and runs after her. She closes her van door and starts the engine as he stands outside of it. "Tifa, **_please_** --!" She backs up and drives away.

* * *

_Well, what do you think? I wonder if anyone expected Tifa to get fed up and leave like she just did? Please review to give Cloud and Yazoo cookies! _

_**Next chapter**: Cloud goes through depression upon Tifa leaving. Yazoo feels guilty for Tifa leaving, so he leaves to bring her back. But is that Sephiroth on the streets? And without his sword?! And what is Kadaj up to? Stay tuned for chapter 13 of The Search for Avonej to find out!_


	13. Disobedience

_Hello, wonderful readers! I am honored to be able to present to you this chapter! We are now back in action and no longer so focused on Yazoo's tragedy. I hope you enjoy this! Please take time to review, if you can. Flames welcome! Written, this is begins on page 105 without the additions I made! I hope I kept Sephy in character! He gets rather angry and emotional here, so I had a bit of trouble._

_Thank you to everyone who reads and/or reviews this story! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Family Guy, or Yogi Bear._

* * *

**Chapter 13: Disobedience**

Four days later, Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, Marlene, and Denzel are sitting at the kitchen table. Loz is at one end, Kadaj and Yazoo on one side and Marlene and Denzel across from them. Everyone is sitting quietly-- sadly -- while Cloud cooks breakfast on the stove. Loz picks up the newspaper from the middle of the table and begins reading it boredly.

"It's done," Cloud announces monotonely. He brings a skillet over to the table and rakes eggs, burned sausage, and lumpy gravy into everyone's plates before putting it back on the stove. Denzel stares down at his food as if horrified and Kadaj is fascinated in what it is. Cloud sits down and says the prayer, and everyone eats.

"Cloud, when is Tifa coming home?" Marlene asks, breaking the silence.

Cloud takes another bite of his sausage before answering. "I don't know."

When breakfast is over, Cloud goes upstairs to his office and Denzel and Marlene go to the living room to watch cartoons. Kadaj stands up from the table and takes the dishes to the bar to clean them. Loz resumes reading the paper and Yazoo stumbles over to Kadaj.

"Kadaj, Big Brother is so depressed without Tifa," Yazoo tells him sadly while Kadaj rakes the old scraps into the trash can.

"I know," Kadaj replies, feeling blue as well. "I wonder why she left?"

Yazoo picks up a plate and assists his younger brother. "Because of me," Yazoo choaks, causing Kadaj to look up at him. "You remember, I was whining over my . . .**_ size_** . . . and then she left. She's sick of **_me_**, Kadaj."

"Y-Yazoo . . . ," Kadaj says with sympathy while setting the plate aside. "Yazoo, don't blame yourself. I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"Of coarse it was! She was happy until I told her what was wrong! She left because of me!"

"Well, if she did, then it's her loss! You're **_not_**a problem, Yazoo! Don't let her hurt you!" Kadaj tells him firmly.

Still feeling sad and guilty, Yazoo leaves the room and heads into the living room wobbily. He goes past Marlene and Denzel, who are entranced by the T.V., and up the stairs. He decides to brush his hair again, so he head to the bathroom. As he passes Cloud's office, he hears a faint sobbing sound coming from the other side of the door. He listens carefully to be sure, but there is no mistaking it. Cloud is crying.

Yazoo's heart begins wrenching with pain and guilt. He places his left hand over his chest and the corners of his mouth draw downwards with the wrenching. He bites his lower lip and hurries to his bedroom. He closes the door and runs to the window. "I can't . . . I can't bear this," Yazoo breathes lightly, just loudly enough so that he can hear himself while stifling a sob. " I made Big Brother cry . . . and I love him so much . . . I have to bring her back . . ." He stares out the window for a moment longer, and now reaches up for the locks. He struggles, and finally undoes them. He stands there for a moment afterwards, cradling his now sore hands, and now raises the heavy window. He slides out onto the small space and closes the window behind him.

* * *

When Loz is bored with the paper, he sets it down on the table and goes into the living room and onto the couch. Marlene gets up and goes up the stairs and knock on Cloud's door.

"Cloud! I want some cookies!" she calls through the door while holding her teddy bear.

The door opens, so she looks up and is greeted by a red, swollen-eyed Cloud. "Alright. I'll help you make some," he tells her, unaware that it is obvious that he has been crying.

Cloud and Marlene go down the stairs and into the living room. As they pass by, Cloud sees that Loz and Denzel are watching _Family Guy_, so he stomps over to Loz, takes the remote, and turns on_ Yogi Bear_.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Cloud scolds, furious.

"What do you mean? We were watching cartoons!" Loz informs.

"Yeah, an _**adult **_one! Denzel's not old enough to watch that! I can't believe that you'd do something so irresponsible!" Cloud continues. "I guess I'll just have to block everything adult now!"

Loz crosses his arms and huffs while Denzel continues to stare at the screen, mystified. Cloud brings Marlene into the kitchen and over to the bar next to where Kadaj is working.

"That's enough, Kadaj. You can go now," Kadaj dismisses. Over the last few months, chores had been assigned to everyone, and dish washing had been assigned to Kadaj.

"Thanks," Kadaj says, putting a wet plate into the dish drainer. As he begins to walk by Cloud and Marlene, he is startled by Cloud's red eyes, but continues into the living room.

"What kind of cookies do you want?" Cloud questions Marlene, opening the pantry.

"Oatmeal raisin!" she cheers, getting the mix box from the shelf. "This'll be fun, Cloud!" I've never made anything with **_you_** before!"

* * *

In the living room, Loz and Denzel are still watching Yogi Bear. Loz laughs as bee chase Yogi and Booboo before eating more pork rinds. He hears someone running down the stairs and is alarmed when the person -- Kadaj -- stops in front of him with a panicked look on their face.

"Loz! Yazoo's gone!" Kadaj screams.

"What?!" Loz exclaims, jumping to his feet. "But he can hardly walk!"

"I know!" Kadaj says, pulling at his hair crazily. "He-he took his phone! I-I'll call him!"

"Kadaj!" Loz grabs Kadaj by the arm. "Calm down, okay? You just said he hs his phone, right? Well, he can call us if anything happens."

"O . . . okay," Kadaj says, still worried, but more calmly. "I'm stil going to call him, though," Kadaj takes out his new silver cellphone and speed dials Yazoo. After several rings, there is an answer. "Yazoo? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Kadaj. I'm fine," Yazoo replies on the phone.

"Please come back, Yazoo! Big Brother's depressed enough! When he finds out you're gone _**too**_, it'll _**kill**_ him!"

". . . I'm going to find Tifa and convince her to come home. If I'm not back by tomorrow, call me." Yazoo hangs up.

"Yazoo --!" Kadaj calls.

"Is he okay?" Loz questions.

"Yeah. He says he's going to try to get Tifa to come back and to call him if he's not back by tomorrow," Kadaj informs while closing his phone and putting it back in his pocket sadly. "But, I can't accept that! He's in no shape to be out alone like that!"

"Well, we'll keep a check on him, okay?" Loz tells him. "Why don't you go read or something for a while? Let Big Brother find out and let him decide what to do. Until then, just relax."

* * *

Two hours later, Yazoo is stumbling around at the edge of Edge (Hah!), close to the Midgar ruins. Since his muscles are so weak from not being used in so long, he falls on his knees, unable to walk anymore. He now shifts to his bottom and sits comfortably next to an empty building to rest.

After about twenty minutes, Yazoo is boredly playing with a piece of loose concrete, still not quite ready to continue looking for Tifa.

"Excuse me," a cool voice asks, "but don't you think you should be searching to apologize to your mother instead of some woman who left because of you?"

Yazoo looks up and sees that Sephiroth is standing next to him with a calm and gentle, not the usual menacing, look on his face. Sephiroth sits down next to him on his right, surprising Yazoo so that he is staring at him. Sephiroth stares ahead at across the street, so Yazoo does the same.

"Yazoo, why are you against Mother now? Doesn't that love for you from me affect you? You're yourself now, but you're still like me," Sephiroth questions ponderously.

"I . . . Mother . . . she didn't care about me and my brothers when we died. And after all we did for her," Yazoo replies, nearly in a whisper.

Sephiroth puts his gloves hand on Yazoo's face and gently turns it so that Yazoo is looking at him. "That's because you failed her. Since you were given another chance to live, you should try again to find her and apologize for failing."

"But . . . ," Yazoo says as Sephiroth removes his hand. He strengthens his voice and says, "she wasn't the one who _**gave**_ me this chance! I should seek the one who cared enough to, not one who couldn't care less if I died!"

Sephiroth smacks Yazoo across the right cheek and pauses, and now smacks him across the left, the right, and now the left again. Yazoo whines and covers his sore face while his face is turned downward. Sephiroth takes him by the neck of his black turtle neck shirt and glares into his eyes.

"You little**_ disgusting_**, **_disgraceful_**, **_thankless_**, **_TRAITOR!!_**" How could you go against your own mother like this?! How could you deny your reason for existing?!" Sephiroth screams in his face.

"!! But . . . she . . . ! She doesn't love me!" Yazoo tells him, breaking into a sob.

"That's because you have to _**earn**_ your love! Because you failed, she thinks you didn't try hard enough, so she thinks you don't love her!"

"You failed _**three times**_ and she loves you more than _**anyone**_!" Yazoo cries.

Sephiroth, furious, slings Yazoo down onto his back while releasing his shirt. Yazoo gasps upon meeting the concrete and Sephiroth stares across the street again. Yazoo slowly sits back up and now gets to his feet. As he tries to walk away to his left, Sephiroth grabs him by the top of his black leather pants and pulls him down, showing a bit of his underwear in the process, pulling him down on his butt next to him. Yazoo leans his head back at an angle to look at Sephiroth, his face red and swollen from both crying and from being slapped. Sephiroth yells, "You're not leaving!"

"But . . . ," Yazoo says hoarsley through a few tears.

"You're coming with me to meet your father," Sephiroth tells him with a mean smile.

* * *

At home, Kadaj is sitting on his bed, thinking of Yazoo out alone. Knowing how much Sephiroth has hurt him in the past is making him worry excessively. Getting an idea, he leaves the room and goes down the stairs. He spots Marlene coloring in the living room and approaches her.

"Marlene," Kadaj says, standing next to where she is sitting in the floor next to the coffee table. "I need your help."

"My help?" she asks, looking up at him from her coloring book on the table. She is surprised to be told that from someone older than her besides Denzel.

"Yeah. But it's a secret, okay? You can't tell **_anyone_**!" he says quietly. "Not even Big Brother!"

"O-okay. What is it?"

Kadaj glances around to make sure no one is around, and now crouches down next to her. "I need to know where Big Brother hid my sword," he whispers in her ear.

"But! I can't tell you **_that_**!" Marlene tells him. "Cloud says you can't have them yet!"

"But, Marlene, **_please_**! I need it so I'll be safe! I'm going out to find Yazoo and bring him home!" he reasons. "You know how he's gotten hurt before! And he needs his medicine!" Marlene looks at him sadly. "**_Please_**! For Yazoo!"

"But . . . then **_you'll_** be gone, too!"

"Loz will be here. And when I come home with Yazoo, you'll have us both!" Marlene still does not sem convinced, so Kadaj adds, "I'll even see if I can bring Tifa back!"

"Well, okay," she agrees, seeming unsure. "It's in Cloud's office upstairs."

"Thanks. I owe you one." Kadaj stands back up and heads up the stairs.

When Kadaj reaches the door to Cloud's office, he glances around to see if anyone is looking. The upstairs hall is clear, so he quietly opens the door, enters, and shuts it behind him. He looks around the room and sees no immediate sign of any weapons; he only sees a desk covered in supplies and pictures, a bed, and a spare tire in front of him. He looks up on a new shelf to his left and sees a black wooden box, so he grabs a chair from in front of the desk and stands on it so that he can reach it. He grabs it, pulls it down into his arms, and struggles to keep his balance due to its weight. he gets down from the chair and sets the box on the desk and opens it -- he and his brothers' weapons are inside. As he smiles hugely upon finally being reunited with Souba, he feels a hand grab his right shoulder roughly. His face goes pale, his eyes wide, and a chill runs down his spine.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Cloud yells, jerking Kadaj's shoulder so that he turns around. Kadaj opens his mouth to reply, but is too scared to say anything. "You know you're not allowed in here unless I'm with you! And you also know you can't have your weapon back unless I say you can!" Cloud continues.

". . . But . . . ! I . . . !" Kadaj huffs, horrified and upset that Cloud is yelling at him.

Cloud, still having a hold of Kadaj's arm, slings him so that his small body is between Cloud's left arm and his torso. Cloud secures him tightly with his left arm with Kadaj in a bent over position, so Kadaj goes pale again and his body tenses, realizing what Cloud is going to do. Chills run down his spine and he begins desperately struggling as Cloud prepares the first whack. **_SMACK!!_**

"**_Owwww!!_**" Kadaj cries out. Cloud continues seventeen more times before releasing Kadaj. However, he blocks the door to prevent Kadaj from leaving.

"That didn't feel too good, did it?" Cloud asks, looking down at Kadaj, who is standing in front of him. He is standing with his face down so that his hair is hanging over it, hiding his soaking wet face while he sobs. His hands are over his now sore bottom, as he has now learned that Cloud spanks very hard. He shakes his head negatively as he squeaks from crying. "Well, if you don't straighten up, you're going to be feeling that a lot. You and your brothers chose to act like babies, so I'm going to punish you like ones. I told you clearly to not come in here, and also that you're not allowed to have your sword back yet, and you disobeyed me. It'd better not happened again, is that clear?"

"Y-yes," Kadaj sniffs.

"Alright. You can go now," Cloud dismisses. He steps away from the door and Kadaj exits. He runs into his room and lays on his bed to cry.

* * *

Sephiroth sets Yazoo on a hospital bed of the basement and smiles. "I've brought one, Father!" Sephiroth calls.

A figure comes from the other side of the dark lab room and over to Sephiroth and Yazoo. "Well, if it isn't Yazoo," he smiles, putting on a latex glove. As he steps into the light, he reveals himself to be Professor Hojo.

"W-what's . . . going on? What are you goint to do to me?" Yazoo asks, frightened.

"Don't be afraid, Yazoo," Hojo comforts, putting a hand on Yazoo's shouler. Yazoo shakes it off, so Hojo scowls at him. "Hmph. That's no way to treat your father. Such a brat . . . " Hojo says, half to himself.

"Huh?" Yazoo questions, looking at him strangely. "But . . . I don't have a father."

"What? Didn't Sephiroth tell you? " Hojo asks. "Oh, never mind. An incomplete remnant like you would never understand," Hojo says insultingly. Yazoo looks at him sourly. Hojo pauses before saying, "Sephiroth has informed me that there's something wrong with your mind. He brought you here for me to help." He walks over to a desk and picks up a syringe, and now makes it squirt to check the contents.

Yazoo tries to slide off the side of the bed, but Sephiroth grabs his arms and holds him down in a lying position. Yazoo squirms as much as possible and grunts while doing so, but is unable to escape Sephiroth's grasp.

"Why do you resist, Yazoo? Don't you want to be loved by your **_real mother_**?" Sephiroth asks him. "This will make you back to normal so you'll seek her once again."

"Not yet, Sephiroth," Hojo tells him. "This is a sedative. And **_then_**we'll do that." As Hojo is about to inject Yazoo, he notices bandages wrapped all up his arm. "What's this?" He takes the end of the bandage and unwraps his arm just enough to see a few inches of his light purple rash. "So **_this _**is why your face is purple," he notes, since Yazoo's make-up he wears over his rash has mostly washed off from his tears.

"What is that?" Yazoo asks worriedly, talking about the rash.

"Sephiroth, why didn't you tell me?" Hojo asks, angry and questioningly.

Sephiroth says nothing. He just continues to hold Yazoo down, but now without a smile.

"Yazoo, you're rejecting Xovenaj's Jenova cells. How could this be?" Hojo ponders aloud, mostly to himself. "It looks like I'll have to use **_this_** instead," he informs, holding up a larger needle full of a black substance, "but the sedative first."

Hojo injects the sedative into Yazoo's shoulder, so Yazoo kicks him in the stomach, knocking him into a shelf full of glass bottles of potions. As they shatter around him and he shields his face with his arms desperately, Sephiroth loosens his grasp from shock, allowing Yazoo to run over to the large window in the room. Yazoo quickly opens it and pulls himself through until he gets stuck mid-ways. Sephiroth grabs him, so he kicks him in the face, knocking him down. He manages to pull himself through and runs down the street. As he enters a back street, his sedative kicks in and he goes to sleep on the concrete.

* * *

At the house, Kadaj is now sitting on his bed in ponder, no longer crying. He gets up off of the bed, exits the room, and sneaks over to the door of Cloud's office. No one is around, so he turns the door handle and finds that it is locked. The door opens seconds later, revealing an angry Cloud on the other side.

"Ah . . . um . . . ," Kadaj stutters.

Without a word, Cloud grabs Kadaj by the right arm and slings him over his knee as he crouches down, bending his body over it so that he has a perfect and easy target. The chills return in Kadaj's body and he becomes horrified, fearing the pain he is going to feel from being spanked twice in a row. He begins struggling, even though he knows it is futile. SMACK!!

"**_Aaaaaaaaaaooooooooooowwwwwwww!!_**" Kadaj screams, crying instantly. This time, Cloud spanks him nineteen times and afterward slings him over his right shoulder, throws him on his (Kadaj's) bed, and locks him inside of his room.

"What am I gonna do?!" Kadaj sobs, his face in his pillow as he sobs loudly and uncontrollably from throbbing pain. After a few minutes, his sobbing goes down slightly, so he gets up and goes to the window, giving up on getting his sword back. He reaches for the latch on his tip-toes and struggles to release it, and then lifts the heavy window as Yazoo had. He carefully crawls out onto the eve and shuts the window behind him. As he begins climbing down the side of the house, his tears get in his way and he slips, falling from between the two stories onto his sore bottom onto the small patch of young grass new to Edge. He bites his bottom lip and squints his eyes shut to resist screaming, but his sobbing returns in a height volume. He forces himself to his feet anyway and walks away from the house to the street.

* * *

When Yazoo wakes up, he sees that he is lying on a purple bed in a room without windows. As he looks at his shoulder to see where he had been given his shot, he sees that he is no longer wearing his black shirt. He sits up and looks at his outfit curiously. He sees that he is wearing a light green sequined dress with spaghetti straps with a length that ends at his knees. He looks at his feet and sees that he is in the same colored toe-covered sandals with a high-heel. He blushes and covers his face with his hands, and is surprised to feel that it has been freshly covered with make-up.

"Good morning, sweet cakes!" a big man in a suit yells as he walks in through the door. As he approaches Yazoo, Yazoo drowsilly leaves the bed, but trips in his high-hells and hits the floor on his face. The man smacks Yazoo on the butt, so Yazoo kicks him and gets up angrily.

"Y-you're that man from the carnival!" Yazoo exclaims, blushing.

"That's right! I'm Don Corneo!" the man agrees. "And now I've finally got you!"

Yazoo backs up against the wall, horrified of the disgusting man. He just stands ther helplessly as Corneo approaches.

* * *

_I hope you liked it and will continue reading! Please leave a review if you can! I want to know what I can do to improve the story and if you guys have any ideas, suggestions, complaints, or anything. Is there anything you wish I would stop putting in the story or is there something of which you would like to see more? _

_Don Corneo is the nasty pervert from Wall Market of FFVII if you do not remember. Cloud had to cross dress to get into his mansion and rescue Tifa from him._

_Next chapter: Kadaj goes searching for Yazoo, but is it safe, being all by himself unarmed? And who is that coming to his rescue? And who is going to rescue poor Yazoo from Don Corneo? And will Tifa ever come back home? Read on to see! Next chapter coming soon!_


	14. Found

_Good day, wonderful readers! I am now presenting you with chapter 14! Whew! The story is now the point where it is now going to start revealing secrets and what in the world is going on. Because of this, some focus is going to be shifted to Kadaj, making it pretty much balanced between Kadaj and Yazoo, and you will see why in this chapter. I am now finishing up writing chapter 16, and think that the story is probably going to be about 20 chapters long if I finish it, just so you know. I am losing motivation, as I only had 13 hits for chapter 12 and 38 for chapter 13. Also, feel free to donate ideas. If I use them, I will credit you!_

_I want to thank all of my readers and especially those who review, favorite, or wish they were able to do either! Thank you so much! You make the pain of typing this through hand problems worth it! I hope you enjoy this chapter and take time to review when you are finished, if you are able. I have been working very hard on trying to improve my writing skills and want to know what you guys think. Please be honest, but courteous!_

**Chapter 14: Found**

Kadaj's crying has been reduced to a light sniffle as he walks past the bakery and into a gloomy street. As he walks on, he enters the slums and passes by some guys in their early twenties sitting on an old porch.

"Yo!" a brown haired guy calls. Kadaj ignores him and continues walking. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you, boy!" Kadaj turns toward him angrily as the brown haired guy and three other guys, all of which about Loz's height, get off the porch and approach him. "That's right! You listen when I talk to you!" the guy says with great hand expressions. "What're ya doin' on our street, boy?!"

Kadaj glares at the guys, and now turns away and continues walking.

"Hey!" the brown-haired guy yells. He grabs Kadaj by the right arm and slings him around. He looks into Kadaj's angry, swollen eyes and yells, "Answer my question, pretty boy!" while shoving him. Kadaj shoves him back and the other guys snicker. The brown haired guy smirks and holds his arms upturned to about should height momentarily. "Oh, so you think yer tough, huh? Well, we'll see about that! It looks like you've already cried once today, so let's make it twice!"

"Aw, c'mon, bro," a guy with purple hair says cooly from behind, standing with his hands in his pockets aloofly while having a toothpick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "He can't hurt nobody. Let 'im go."

The brown haired guy grabs Kadaj by the shoulders of his shirt, bringing him closer to his face. "You gonna answer my question or not?"

Kadaj thrusts him off with his hands and exclaims, "Leave me alone!"

"Hmph! I will . . . once I beat you to a pulp!" he informs, cracking his knuckles. He throws a punch at Kadaj, but Kadaj dodges it and punches him in the stomach. While he is gasping, Kadaj takes off running, but a red haired guy grabs him by the back of his shirt, stopping him. The red head now grabs a hold of the top of Kadaj's underwear and pulls it as hard as he can upward, lifting Kadaj up off the ground.

"**_Ugh! Uh . . . ! Ahh!! Aoooooww!!_**" Kadaj cries as he pulls upward. After it is as far as the guy can pull it, he kicks him in the butt, knocking him forward on the ground. The four guys laugh while they catch up, and now Kadaj gets up slowly, in pain. He pulls at his atomic wedgie desperately, but is unsuccessful in getting a hold of it due to its depth, so the guys laugh hysterically at him again. Kadaj just stands there uncomfortably, looking at the guys, not sure what to do.

The brown haired guy comes up to Kadaj again and pushes him while laughing. He pushes him again and this time he falls on his butt on the concrete below and does not get up.

"What? You scared?" the guys taunts down at Kadaj. "Get up and fight me like a man!"

"I'm just trying to find someone," Kadaj says lowly, looking down at the ground.

"Oh, really?" he smiles. He grabs Kadaj by the neck of his T-shirt and pulls him to his feet. "You hear that, guys? He's just tryin' to find someone." The four guys encompass Kadaj, so he glances all around him angrily and nervously.

* * *

Yazoo runs through the streets, as fast as he can from the horrible mansion from which he has just been freed. As he runs, he is filled with humiliation as his thoughts race on what had just happened, distracting him from his task and causing him to clumsily slip and fall in his high-heeled sandals. He slowly raises up, not badly hurt, and continues running miserably.

* * *

Kadaj grunts as he hits the concrete on his back, knocking the breath out of him. His clothes are bloody and torn and his body weak and hurt. He looks up at the guys, unable to get up, with tears going down his face.

"Hmph! What a weakling!" the brown-haired guy laughs, looking down at him. He leans down, grabs Kadaj by the neck of his shirt, and lifts him up off the gorund. As he draws his left fist back to punch him, a brown-gloved fist hits the guy, knocking him down and causing Kadaj to land on his bottom. Kadaj falls backward in a lying position, unable to sit up, and looks up to see that the fist belongs to Xovenaj.

"N-n-**_Noooooo!!_**" Kadaj screeches, sheilding his face with his arms as if it will save him. "**_Leave me alooone!!_**"

The guys stand back, watching curiously as Xovenaj kicks Kadaj over onto his front side. He crouches down on Kadaj's right side while Kadaj wails.

"**_DON'T TOUCH MEEE!!_**" Kadaj sobs, unable to move from his injuries.

Xovenaj happily raises Kadaj's torn shirt, takes off his left glove, and before he touches the center of Kadaj's back, Kadaj screams, "**_HELP ME!! HE'S GONNA TOUCH MEEEE!!_**" . Instantly, a small spot of dark purple -- almost black -- appears. As he begins to slowly slide his hand downwards, Xovenaj is kicked several feet away.

Kadaj begins screaming at a glass-shattering volume and pitch while flailing his injured body as much as possible, in horrible mental agony and panic. "**_HE TOUCHED ME!! SOMEBODY HELP MEEEE!!_**" He puts his hands on the sides of his head and starts shaking it rapidly, freaking the guys out and making them back up even farther away. "**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!_**"

"Kadaj?" a voice asks softly and worriedly, gently taking Kadaj's shoulders in their grasp while they are crouched down. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

Kadaj continues to scream and cry as if he has been cut into pieces, but manages to lift his head enought to see who has come to rescue him. As his tears spill enough for him to see, he recognizes the person to be Sephiroth.

"Kadaj, it's okay. Calm down," Sephiroth says, gently turning Kadaj over and into a sitting position. He leans Kadaj's body into his shoulder and hugs him, causing Kadaj's screaming to lessen. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

"_Hic_ . . . **_He touched meeeee!! Help meeeee!!_**" Kadaj pleads, reaching his arms back over his shoulders and getting a grip on Sephiroth's clothing.

Sephiroth lets go of Kadaj, and now lifts him in his arms. Sephiroth begins walking and takes him away from the scene.

"**_Nnnnnnnnng!!_**" Kadaj groans, still grieving. "**_Mnnnnnnn. . . .!_**"

"Does it hurt?" Sephiroth asks again. "I'm sorry I didn't come in time. I was busy tending to my father. Yazoo managed to escape from us and a bunch of chemicals fell on him."

"Uhk . . .! Ya . . . zoo . . . !" Kadaj hiccups.

"They fell on our father, not Yazoo," Sephiroth assures. "But don't worry. I'm not taking you to him. I hate Yazoo, that's all."

A couple of minutes later, Sephiroth and Kadaj arrive a an old building surrounded by similar ones and go inside. Sepiroth lays Kadaj on a futon in the entrance room, closes the door, and turns on the light.

"Kadaj, you still love Mother, don't you?" Sephiroth asks, standing next to where Kadaj is now lying. "You're going to help me restart Reunion, right?"

"Nnn . . . ," Kadaj moans, still crying lightly. "No. She doesn't love me."

"That's what Yazoo said, too," Sephiroth sighs.

"Where **_is_**Yazoo?"

"I don't know. He escaped from the lab," Sephiroth answers, taking a seat in a black leather chair near by. "I **_hope_** he's dying of his rash."

"How . . . ?! How could you say something so crue--**_ow!!_**" Kadaj yells, sitting up angrily, but falling back down from pain.

"Because I **_hate_** him. He's **_disgusting_**, **_weak_** . . . !"

"But he's like a part of you."

There is a long pause while Kadaj stares up at the yellow ceiling and Sephiroth sits with his leg crossed over the other while his chin is in his palm ponderously.

"Sephiroth, waht is this rash?" Kadaj asks.

"Hmm?" Sephiroth asks, too busy thinking to have heard Kadaj's question.

"What is this rash Xovenaj gave me and Yazoo?"

Sephiroth gets up and walks over to Kadaj. "It's your will conflicting with his. You are still a Remnant. You are supposed to share his will of restarting Reunion and accept some of Mother's cells from him so that you can become whole and be able to seek her. Only this time, you won't become me," Sephiorth explains. "Since your will is against his, the cells are poisoning your body adn will until you die or are injected with something our father has. Or if you find Avonej."

"But Avonej won't help unless we give him some of Mother's cells. I don't have any," Kadaj responds.

"But I **_do_**," Sephiroth tells him, gently sweeping Kadaj's hair over to the side and out of his red eyes. Sephiroth walks away, so Kadaj slowly sits up in the futon. After hearing some things being moved for a few second, Sephiroth walks back over to Kadaj with something in his hands.

"Here," Sephiroth says, handing the object to Kadaj. Kadaj accepts it and sees that it is a box just like the one that contained Jenova's head, only smaller. Kadaj gasps and his fingers tingle as he looks down at it. He moves it slowly in his hands to examine it as tears form in his eyes. "It's not too late to change your mind, Kadaj." Sephiroth tells him.

"I-I can't! I can't!" Kadaj cries. "My brothers and I promised! And I love Big Brother too much!"

"Kadaj . . . they won't have to know," Sephiroth informs, putting an arm around Kadaj's shoulder. "It can be our little secret."

Kadaj lets tears fall down his cheeks as he stares down at the container holding pieces of his mother. "I can't help it. I can't help but love her!"

Sephiroth embraces Kadaj tightly as Kadaj cries lightly and embraces Jenova.

* * *

Yazoo is walking down a street, dust now near, when he begins hurting again, this time needing his medicine. He spots a fountain with a bench around it, so he decides to sit there to rest.

"Hey . . . ," a voice says from behind Yazoo, who is facing the fountain. He turns and sees that it is Tifa. "Yazoo! It **_is_** you!"

"Tifa!" Yazoo exclaims excitedly. He stands up and looks down a her with a bright smile. "I've been looking for you all day!"

"Um, why are you wearing that?" Tifa asks, pointing out his dress.

"Oh," Yazoo blushes, looking down at his clothes. "I was kidnapped by some man named Don Corneo and he made me wear this. I'd . . . rather not thing about it, though."

"Don . . . Corneo . . . ? But he . . . _**died**_," Tifa whispers in shock to herself. "Well, anyway, why did you come to find me?"

"Because everyone misses you! It's not the same without you. And Big Brother . . . ," Yazoo explains, " he was **_crying_**."

"He was . . . ? Oh," Tifa says sadly. "He **_cried_**?"

"I heard him. He really needs you."

Tifa stands there in thought while Yazoo's pain flares up badly. He sits back down on the bench, but it does not help.

"I . . . I'll bring you home, Yazoo," Tifa tells him seriously.

"But, what about you?" he questions.

"If he wants me back that badly, he'll beg. I can't come back unless he does or he won't change."

"Huh?" Yazoo asks. "But . . . I thought you left because of**_ me_**."

"Yazoo . . . ," Tifa begins, and now takes a seat next o him. "I left because of Cloud. He never spends any time with me anymore. He spends all of his time with you all and . . . ," she says, lowering her head," I guess I was . . . a little jealous." She raises her head back up and says, "Well, anyway, let's go, Yazoo."

Fifteen minutes later, Tifa and Yazoo drive into the driveway of their home and park. They then get out and knock on the door. After seven seconds, Cloud opens the door and his face lights up with joy upon seeing Tifa.

"Tifa!" Cloud exclaims, unable to keep from smiling.

"I've brought Yazoo home," she says stoically, allowing Yazoo past her and into the house.

"Oh. Um," Cloud says sadly, glancing back and forth from her face to the floor. "I, um, I'm sorry, Tifa."

"Hmm?" Tifa humms, wanting him to continue.

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll spend more time with you. I-in fact, let's go on a little vacation or something soon."

"Oh?! Where to?!" Tifa cheers, not expecting this.

"I, uhm . . . wherever you want."

"So, are you asking me back?" Tifa asks.

"Of coarse!" Cloud answers. Tifa steps inside and up closer to Cloud. They wrap their arms around each other and kiss passionately.

Yazoo, wanting ot give them some time, hurries up the stairs. He decides to take his medicine, so he goes into the bathroom. He opens the medicine cabinet and skims across the various labeled containers, getting down his pills, cream, and powder. He slowly and miserably begins raising up his dress, dreading the medicine immensely.

When Yazoo is finished, he goes into his bedroom and sees that Loz is inside looking out the window. He turns from it upon hearing Yazoo enter and smiles hugely. "Yazoo!" As Yazoo smiles back, Loz runs up, hugs Yazoo, and lifts him off of his feet for a moment. "I missed you so much! Are you okay?!"

"I'm okay now, Loz," Yazoo smiles as Loz lets him go.

"Um," Loz laughs, examining Yazoo. "Since when did you decide to start wearing dresses?!"

Yazoo's face turns crimson and he outstretches his arms in a crossed position over his clothes. "This is . . . um . . . !"

"Yazoo?!" Cloud yells from behind. Yazoo cringes, dreading being scolded. He turns and Cloud's expression tenses. "You have some serious explaining to do!"

"I know . . . ," Yazoo moans.

"You ran away, scaring everyone to death in your condition, and come home looking like_** this**_!" Cloud yells, taking off his belt. Yazoo takes a step back and covers his bottom with his hands.

"Cloud! Please!" Tifa intervenes, stepping out from behind Cloud and Yazoo. "He's been through enough! Don't whip him!"

" . . . . Fine," Cloud gives in, starting to relax. "Now explain."

* * *

"I can get the medicine from our father," Sephiroth explains, driving down the road with Kadaj next to him. "Since your will conflicted with Xovenaj's when he touched you, you have the rash whether you want Mother or not. The medicine will make your body accept it and get rid of your rash."

"What about Avonej?" Kadaj asks, sitting in a booster seat next to Sephiroth.

"He'll heal you, but will completely free you from Mother. He's the anti-Jenova."

Kadaj turns from Sephiroth and looks out the window. "I don't know what to do," he says sadly, watching the reflection of the vehicle dance across the windows of the passing buildings. "I was wanting so much to start a different life, but now that I've seen Mother again . . . I feel guilty."

"It's your instincts. You were meant to want Reunion," Sephiroth explains. "Just . . . think about it. Come tell me your answer before next week. And come **_alone_**."

"Okay." Kadaj mumbles, looking down at his feet dangling above the floor.

Sephiroth stops at a red light, so he looks to Kadaj and sees his depressed expression. He puts his right hand on Kadaj's right cheek and turns his face so he can see it. He makes a sad face upon seeing Kadaj's bruised cheek before turning back to the road. "I'm sorry about your wounds," Sephiroth sighs. "I thought it'd be too suspicious if you came home wearing bandages . . . "

Just now, Kadaj's cell phone rings. He gets it out of his pocket and checks the called I.D. "It's Yazoo," Kadaj informs, and now anwers it. "Hello? . . . . Yeah . . . . . . . . . . . . . So, your'e at home? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I'm on my way. I went out to look for you."

"Hmph! You did all this for **_him_**? And he just went home and didn't care?" Sephiroth scoffs, eavesdropping.

"Hold on," Kadaj tells Yazoo, and covers the speaker part of the phone and looks over at Sephiroth. "He didn't know I went to look for him. He told me to come find him if he wasn't home by tomorrow."

"So you just went to look for him because you wanted to?" Sephiroth smarts-off.

"Of coarse! I love Yazoo!" Kadaj yells defensively.

"Really? I wouldn't if I were you. Look what you've been through because he ran away and you went to find him."

Kadaj falls silent, and now lifts the phone back up to the side of his head. "You still there? . . . . . . . No one. I'm by myself. . . . . . . . Well, I'm walking down the street! Of coarse you heard someone else talking! . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is he mad? . . . . . . . . . . . . Do you think he'll spank me again? . . . . . . . . "

"Again?" Sephiroth asks.

Kadaj rolls his eyes at Sephiroth and continues. "Well, I'll be home in a few minutes. Bye." Kadaj closes the phone and puts it away.

"Again?" Sephiroth repeats, smiling.

"Yeah," Kadaj grumbles, embarrassed. "He caught me twice trying to get my sword back this morning and spanked me both times."

Sephiroth laughs and Kadaj crosses his arms. "That's actually quite funny. Cloud rearing someone. And someone like you of all people."

"Go ahead! Laugh it up!" Kadaj smiles angrily.

A couple of minutes later, Sephiroth pulls into a parking lot and stops the car. "Kadaj, you should get out now. Your house isn't far from here. We can't let anybody know we've been together," Sephiroth informs seriously.

"Okay. I'll see you," Kadaj tells him, and now leaves the black car and heads down the sidewalk.

When Kadaj arrives at the house, he knocks on the door and waits nervously, afraid of getting spanked again. Tifa opens the door, relieving him a bit.

"You're back!" Kadaj smiles.

"Yeah. Yazoo convinced me to come home," she answers. She steps aside, allowing Kadaj entrance, so Kadaj hurries past her and up the stairs, wanting to avoid Cloud. When he enters his room, he sees Yazoo and Loz standing together while gazing out the window. He walks up to Yazoo, so Loz moves to the other side of the room to get out of their way. Kadaj now slaps Yazo across the face and glares at him. "How could you?! Don't ever run away like that ever again!" Kadaj's face softens and he hugs Yazoo tightly, surprising Yazoo, since he has not touched him since he had gotten his rash.

"I'm sorry, Kadaj," Yazoo apologizes. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just felt like I had to do it." As they release each other, Yazoo notices Kadaj's bruised cheek. "Oh, Kadaj! You're hurt!" he points out, placing his hand on the side of Kadaj's face. He gives Kadaj a sympathetic look, and now looks down to see that his clothes are torn and dirty. "What . . . **_happened_** to you?"

The door opens and Cloud enters the room with an angry expression on his face. Yazoo takes a step back and Kadaj turns around to see Cloud.

"Kadaj, come here," Cloud instructs sternly. Kadaj glances back at Yazoo, who gives him a look of sincerity, and now walks over to Cloud and swallows. "Do you remember this morning?"

"Y . . . yes," Kadaj choaks, looking at the floor rather than up at Cloud.

"Do you remember when I said for you all to never go out alone?"

"Yes," he repeats, tense with his eyes shut.

"Do you remember the rule that you can't go anywhere without permission?"

". . . . Yes."

"Then you know that you've broken the rules and are going to get a familiar punishment, right?"

"M . . .yes," Kadaj slurs, nervous and afraid.

"Loz, Yazoo, I suggest you leave the room for a minute," Cloud instructs, still eyeing the downcast youngest brother.

Yazoo just stands there, feeling guilty for Kadaj leaving and getting punished because of him. He feels Loz's hand touch his unaffected arm, so he turns his head quickly to see him.

"Come on, Yazoo," Loz says quietly. He lets go of Yazoo and they exit the room and shut the door behind them.

"Now, Kadaj, is there anything you'd like to say in defense?" Cloud asks fairly.

" . . . . . I . . . . I'm sorry, Big Brother," Kadaj pouts. "I just wanted Yazoo home."

"Turn around," Cloud orders.

Butterflies quickly form and stir within Kadaj's stomach and his spine tingles coldly upon hearing these dreaded words. He obeys, turning around so that his back-side is facing Cloud while he stares at the wall before him anxiously.

"Now bend over."

Kadaj swallows his pride and slowly bends his body to give Cloud a good shot at his rump, staring down at the greying-brown carpet afterwards. He hears Cloud's belt rattling, and before he knows it, **_WHACK!!_**

A few minutes later, Cloud leaves the room and goes down the stairs. He spots Yazoo sitting on the bottom step, so he stops curiously and asks, "Yazoo?"

"I . . . you should punish me, too, Big Brother," Yazoo tells him sadly, looking up at him. "He left because of me."

"I know, but Tifa doesn't want me to, so I won't."

"And she **_did_**want you to punish Kadaj?"

"She didn't seem to care." Cloud steps down and forward on the carpet. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. You should go help Tifa, especially if you want to try to make things up to everyone."

Yazoo stands up and straightens his red shirt and black pants, and now walks into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey, Yazoo," Tifa greets, standing behind the bar.

"Tifa, why don't you just relax?" Yazoo suggests. "You just got back. I'll take care of dinner."

"What?" Tifa asks in surprise. "But, Yazoo--,"

"I can handle it," he smiles happily, going to the stove. "Please?"

"Well, o-kay," Tifa gives in. She heads toward the doorway and adds, "Don't get burned, okay?"

* * *

Five minutes later, Loz is watching the news while Denzel reads a magazine in the living room.

"Loz!" Marlene calls as she enters the room. "Where's Yazoo?"

"Uh, I don't know. Go asks Tifa," he tells her, leaning back against the back cushion of the couch lazily.

"Okay." She leaves the room and skips into the kitchen. "Tifa?"

"Tifa's not here," Yazoo replies, stirring the soup on the stove.

"Oh, Yazoo!" Marlene cheers, running up to him. "I'm so glad you're home!"

"Yeah. I missed you," Yazoo tells her while smiling gently.

"Um, can**_ I_** help?"

"Sure. You can . . . um," he thinks aloud while looking away from the stove and instead glancing around the room. " . . . you can set the table."

"Okay!"

* * *

Upstairs, Kadaj is sniffing face-down in his bed for the third time that day. As he turns his face to the right, out of his pillow, to get a good breath, he begins to feel a sharp pain in his back. The pain dies, so he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. The pain returns within seconds, only this time it is much worse. He grips his pillow tightly and grunts as the pain stings. He remembers that Xovenaj touched him, and realizes that the pain is from his rash. Afraid that telling someone about his rash will eventually lead into finding out about him and Sephiroth, Kadaj decides to keep quiet about it.

* * *

_Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please send a review if you can! All ideas and suggestions are welcome, even if they are suggesting lessening on something or something of the sort! I am having slight writer's block and some writer's laziness, so I need some inspiration! _

_Also, I'll explain later what happened with Yazoo and Corneo. I decided not to write it as it happened and it didn't really fit into this chapter. You are welcome to donate ideas, though, if you want. I will credit you if I use them!_

_Next chapter: My goodness, this thing is absolutely ginormous! Don't expect this one too soon! Anway: Who is that walking into Rufus' office? And why is Rufus crying about it? And what a mess! Loz and Yazoo get into a terrible fight with each other! Meanwhile, what is Kadaj up to now? He obviously has a plan, and is risking getting into trouble once again. What ever will Cloud do?!_


	15. Revived Feelings

_Hello, wonderful readers! It's been a long time! I'm so sorry for the loooooooooong, inconvenient wait! I had run out of ideas and have been doing some recovering from my hand problems, so I've been gone from this story for a while. I shall get it done! I won't give up! So here is chapter 15 of "The Search for Avonej", for those of you who have not given up and still remember the story and care about it. _

_I also want to say Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. All of you have significantly inspired me as a writer. All feedback is more than welcome so that I may hopefully keep improving as a writer, so please leave a review if you can. Just please don't be nasty (really bad language, unnecessary cruelty . . . ). One of the things in particular that I am wanting to improve upon is making sure to use proper parallelism, so even if you see something small that is incorrect, please let me know! If it was a simple typo or whatever, I just get to ignore it. I want all of the help I can get. Please and thank you!  
_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of "Final Fantasy". Only this plot line._

_

* * *

  
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**Chapter 15: Revived Feelings**

"Yo!" Reno calls as he walks in a slouchy fashion into Rufus' office with Rude. "We have some news for you!"

Rufus turns from standing in front of the window to face the two Turks. "Yes?"

"It seems Professor Hojo is still alive," Rude informs seriously. "And he has all of the Jenova cells."

"What?" Rufus asks in shock. "But how . . . ?"

"Tseng said he saw hm working in the hospital when he went for his blood test. He said he had seen him putting on a wig," Reno explains.

Rufus is speechless. He just stares at Reno blankly, and now grasps his chair and sits down in it behind his desk stiffly. He places his hands together and stares down in shock and ponder.

"That's all we know," Rude tells him. He now turns to Reno and whispers, "Let's leave him alone now." Reno nods and the two exit the room, leaving Rufus alone to think.

"Why so troubled, my son?" a voice asks as the other door shuts behind a figure. Rufus looks up and is taken over by shock. "Aren't you glad Hojo is back?"

Rufus stands up, his eyes wide, and his mouth agape. "F-Father?" he chokes.

"Yes. It's me, Rufus," he assures him.

Rufus runs up to him and hugs him tightly, beginning to sob. "Father! But . . . _**how?!**_"

"It doesn't matter, son. What's important is that I'm here to help you out. It appears that you really need it," his father tells him, somewhat coldly, as he pets his son on the back.

"Father, I've missed you so much!" Rufus cries.

"Hmph. It sure doesn't seem like it," he disagrees. Rufus looks up at him with a hurt look. "If you had, you'd have tried to kill Sephiroth for killing me instead of helping his brothers . . . or whatever!"

"But, Cloud said --"

"And Cloud! He tried to destroy this corporation! Why are you working with him?!"

"Because . . . I want to protect the Planet."

Rufus' father glares down at him. "This corporation is what's important. Now stand down while I fix your mistake."

* * *

Kadaj swings his plastic sword horizontally, but Cloud leaps back and dodges, followed by them clashing swords. Cloud pushes harder and sends Kadaj backwards a couple of feet. Kadaj shakes it off and rushes toward Cloud with a vertical slash, but Cloud catches the blade on his and pushes Kadaj backwards again. Kadaj now rushes up with a blow from below, but Cloud counters it and they clash several more times before Cloud sends Kadaj on his back on the ground.

"That's enough for today," Cloud says, standing still while looking in Kadaj's direction.

Kadaj gasps for air as he lies on the ground in defeat. "No . . . I . . can still . . . fight," he protests. "I . . . I'll win . . . this time . . . Big Brother."

"I've already beaten you eight times today. You can try again tomorrow."

"Um," Yazoo says as he approaches with a cooler in his hands. "I brought some water."

"Oh, good," Loz smiles. Loz takes the cooler from Yazoo and sets it on the patio table next to him. He takes a bottle of water from it and takes a drink. Afterward, he puts the lid back on it and asks, "So, what've you been doing today, Yazoo?"

"Mmm . . . not much. I just helped Tifa with the restaurant a little," he replies.

Cloud and Kadaj take a seat at the patio table and get some water. Loz and Yazoo sit down as well for a break.

"So . . . when are we gonna get those cells?" Loz asks Cloud as he twists the lid off and on his bottle.

"As soon as all of you feel ready. I think you almost are," Cloud answers, leaning back tiredly.

"I'm not," Yazoo disagrees, causing everyone to look at him. "You still haven't trained me at all."

"That's because you're not gonna fight, remember?" Loz reminds. "You'll just get hurt."

"Please, Big Brother," Yazoo pleads with a pouty face.

Cloud looks at him, and now averts his eyes and sighs. "Fine. Give me five minutes."

"This sure won't last long," Kadaj smarts-off, worn out and dirty from losing so many times.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Yazoo smiles, ignoring his younger brother's comments.

Five minutes later, Cloud gives Yazoo a paint ball gun similar to his Velvet Nightmare and holds a plastic sword similar to his Buster Sword. They get into position, ready to fight.

"Ready?" Cloud asks him.

"Yes," Yazoo answers.

Cloud runs up to Yazoo while dodging paint balls until he reaches him. As Cloud swings his sword, Yazoo protects himself by hitting his gun against it, but Cloud's hit is so strong that Yazoo hits the ground. Yazoo quickly rolls out of the way and jumps up. Cloud slashes at him again, so he spins out of the way quickly, but loses his balance and falls back again. He jumps up, but is hit by Cloud's sword and sent a small distance back before he can react. Cloud runs up at Yazoo again, so Yazoo does a spin kick, but misses. Cloud hits him from behind, knocking him forward on the ground. Just as Yazoo raises his head and looks back, he sees that Cloud has him pinned with his sword pointing at his back. Yazoo makes a depressed face at the sword.

"Hmph! I knew Big Brother would win!" Kadaj comments.

Cloud puts the sword aside on the ground and holds out a hand to Yazoo. Yazoo takes it and is pulled up, and now dusts off his clothes.

"Good job," Cloud congratulates. "There's something I want you to do, though," Yazoo looks at Cloud curiously. "I want you to work out every day. I've got some machines and dumbbells in the garage you can use."

"But . . . " Yazoo begins.

Loz puts a hand on Yazoo's shoulder. "You wanna be like me, right?" Yazoo rolls his eyes. "Aw, come on! It's fun, Yazoo! And it'll help slim you down, too."

While Loz, Yazoo, and Cloud converse, Kadaj spots a newspaper on the table in front of him and begins reading it boredly. As he flips through it, he notices an add for a volunteer project in a building on a street right near the one where Sephiroth is. Getting an idea, he runs up to Cloud with the newspaper in his hand. Cloud looks at him curiously.

"Big Brother, I want to do this," Kadaj smiles, holding up the add so that Cloud can see it.

Cloud reads it silently, and now looks at Kadaj unsurely. "_**Why?**_" he questions.

"Well, it'll be fun and . . . I can learn from it. Besides, it's boring around here."

Loz pushes Yazoo, causing him to bump into Kadaj, knocking him onto the ground. Kadaj gets up on his knees and looks over irately at Yazoo. "Watch it, you klutz!"

"Well, you certainly need to do some learning, Cloud agrees as he watches Kadaj stand and Yazoo glower at him while he does so. "Fine. I'll drive you there in an hour, so get ready."

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Kadaj cheers, turning from Yazoo to Cloud. He runs back toward the house excitedly and Loz goes to the garage to exercise. Yazoo walks up to Cloud, who is still standing in the yard boredly.

"Thank you, Big Brother, for working with me," Yazoo tells him shyly.

"I'm sorry I wouldn't help you before. You're a good fighter, you just need some muscle," Cloud apologizes. "I shouldn't've let Loz talk me out of it." Cloud walks past Yazoo and toward the house, finished with the conversation. Bored, Yazoo continues to stand there.

"Yazoo!" Marlene calls as she runs up to him. He turns and looks at her happily. "Yazoo, do you wanna play jump rope with me?"

"Sure," Yazoo smiles.

* * *

An hour has passed, so Cloud as driven Kadaj to the building hosting the volunteer service. Kadaj is waiting eagerly in his seat while Cloud is serious and a little bit concerned. After gazing hard at the place for a long moment to see if it looked like a safe place for Kadaj, Cloud turns his attention to the youth next to him.

"You have your money, right?" Cloud asks Kadaj, sitting in the van parked in a small parking lot.

"Yeah," Kadaj answers, sitting next to him in the passenger's seat.

"And your phone?"

"Yeah."

"And the emergency numbers?"

"Yeah."

"And --"

"I'll be fine, Big Brother," Kadaj giggles. "I've got everything. Don't worry."

". . . Okay," Cloud gives in. "Promise me you'll be good."

"I promise."

"Alright. I'll be back to pick you up at 4 O'clock, okay?"

"Okay." Kadaj opens his door and steps out of the van. Cloud watches at he walks up on the sidewalk and into the store hosting the volunteer work. After about two minutes, Cloud begins driving home.

When Kadaj sees out the window that Cloud is gone, he exits the store and walks up the street to the slums. Remembering the guys who had beat him up before, he scurries past the houses to where Sephiroth had brought him. He stands on the step for a moment, lightly nervous, and now knocks.

Seven seconds later, the door opens. "Hello there, Kadaj," Sephiroth smiles down to him. "Come on inside." Sephiroth steps over to the side politely, allowing him entrance. He now takes Kadaj to a couch for a seat and he sits down next to him in his black leather chair. "It's good to see you again, Kadaj."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner," Kadaj explains. "I had to come up with a way here. I told Big Brother that I wanted to do volunteer work up the road, so he dropped me off there. He should from now on Monday through Friday if I want."

"I see," Sephiroth says, enjoying Kadaj's clever plan. "I'll give you my number. That way, you can call me before you come. You may not be able to come every day."

"Oh," Kadaj says. "I- . . . Is today . . . ?"

"Today's fine," Sephiroth assures, grabbing a pen and tears a sheet of paper from a notebook from on the small end table next to him. While he writes down his cell phone number in it, Kadaj glances around the room curiously. He is in a run-down house with paneling on the walls, a very dated chandelier with only two of the six bulbs working, and a dark fireplace on the far wall. As he turns his head to look into the hall leading into the next room, Sephiroth says, "Here," while handing the paper to Kadaj.

"O-oh," Kadaj grunts clumsily while taking the paper from Sephiroth. He examines it quickly, and now reaches for his cell phone in his back pocket.

"Now give me yours," Sephiroth instructs. He tears out another piece of notebook paper and grabs the pen, and hands them both to Kadaj. Kadaj takes them, writes his number, and now hands it back to Sephiroth.

After they both program each others' numbers in their phones, Sephiroth stands up. "Would you like some tea or hot chocolate?" he offers.

"Some hot chocolate would be good," Kadaj smiles.

Sephiroth leaves the room and returns momentarily with some tea and hot chocolate. "Be careful. It's hot," he warns as he hands Kadaj his drink. Kadaj takes it cautiously and Sephiroth reclaims his chair.

"So . . . did you ask about that medicine thing?" Kadaj asks, staring down happily at the multitude of marshmallows is in cup.

" . . . Medicine thing . . . ?" Sephiroth asks in confusion after taking a sip of tea.

"You know. The thing that'll let me accept Mother's cells."

"No. Father's been . . . busy." After a short pause, Sephiroth sets his drink on the table, stands up, and walks over to Kadaj. Kadaj lowers his drink and looks up at him, so Sephiroth puts his hand on Kadaj's chin and raises his head to examine his face. "Where's your rash?" he asks, unable to see one across his face like Yazoo's.

"I sneaked and used some of Yazoo's make-up. That way, no one will know it and will never suspect a thing," Kadaj informs.

Sephiroth takes a step back and thinks for a moment. "You didn't put it on the actual infected spot, did you?"

"No."

"Good," Sephiroth says in relief. "It's okay on your face, since that's just a mark, but I wouldn't touch the real thing."

"I'm afraid, though, that Yazoo'll notice that I've been into his make-up," Kadaj worries. "What should I do?"

Sephiroth smiles. "How about we go shopping?"

* * *

"Here you go," Yazoo smiles gently as he sets two plates on a table of hte Seventh Heaven. The couple sitting at the table smile up at him, so he tells them, "Just let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you so much for helping me today, Yazoo," Tifa says as she walks by him with some drinks.

"Oh, it's nothing." Yazoo walks from the table and over to the bar counter. As he leans over it to open a cabinet, he hears someone walk up behind him. He quickly turns and is trapped against the counter as two muscular arms grab onto the counter at his sides and their owner stands close to him.

"Um, do you need something, sir?" Yazoo asks nervously.

The man, who has black greased back hair and a beige shirt, smiles flirtatiously. "As a matter of fact, I do, sugar." He brings his body closer to Yazoo, so Yazoo leans back against the counter as far as he can from the man. "I need you to . . . you know. Show me around town," he continues as he brings his face into Yazoo's. Yazoo turns his face to the side, tempting the man even more. "Oh, playing hard to get, are we? Well, I know how to win at that game, sweet cakes."

Fed up, Yazoo slaps him on the right cheek, hardly phasing the man. "Oh, do you I'm going to give up so easily, cupcake? I still haven't gotten what I want, and what I want is a bit of _**this!**_" The man reaches his arm around Yazoo swiftly and manages to grasp his left buttock with his right had and squeeze it. Instantly, Yazoo thrusts the man off of him and kicks him in the face, knocking him on the hard floor on his back. In fury, Yazoo places the heel of his boot on the man's neck as a threat.

"Yazoo!" Tifa screams, running up to him as the other customers watch in shock.

Yazoo looks over at her and now back down at the man. He takes his foot off of his neck, unties his apron from around his waist, and throws it on the floor. "I can't do this," he says in a whine without looking up from the floor. He quickly turns away and heads for the stairs.

"I must ask you to please leave my restaurant," Tifa tells the man sternly, who is sitting up on the floor. "I can't have that kind of behavior going on in here."

The man stands up angrily and glares into her brown eyes. She stares back, making him angrier. Before he can do anything to her, he is hit in the back of the head with a fist. The man turns and sees that Cloud had hit him.

"Get out of here now," Cloud warns, serious to the core. Knowing that he does not stand a chance, the man gives Cloud a dirty look and heads for the exit.

"Thanks for that," Tifa says to Cloud.

"It's nothing," he replies. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. I'm going to go make a delivery up the road. I'll be back in a few minutes." Cloud leaves the room and heads up the stairs to get the package, leaving Tifa alone to tend to the restaurant.

* * *

"Oh, may I help you?" a blond woman with her hair put up asks from behind a counter.

"Yes. My brother here would like some help with his make-up," Sephiroth answers, standing on the other side next to Kadaj.

The woman looks at Kadaj in surprise, causing him to blush, but quickly smiles brightly. "O-kay! Right this way!" She walks a few feet down behind the counter to an area with mirrors and stools. She sits down behind the counter and Kadaj sits in front of her with Sephiroth next to him. "Okay, what kind of make-up do you want? Mascara, eye-liner, foundation, lipstick--"

"Just something to go on my face," Kadaj interrupts, not understanding a word. "I need something to cover my rash." He points to the now-visible purple splotches on his upper cheekbone, informing the woman clearly where it is needed.

"Okay. Well, I really recommend that you wear foundation over your _**whole**_ face. That way, it will help keep your skin tone even," she tells him seriously.

"I can't let anyone know I have this rash."

"Well, if you wear the foundation all over, they will just think you are wearing it because you want to. If they notice your skin tone being uneven in that one spot, it'll look funny and they may figure it out," she explains. "You understand?" Kadaj nods.

The woman takes three containers of foundation from the glass counter and sets them atop it. She takes the lid off one of them and matches it to Kadaj's skin. Luckily, it is a perfect match.

"You have a really pretty complexion, you know that?" she tells him, dipping the sponge in the pale powder. As she lifts the sponge to touch it to Kadaj's face, Kadaj tenses, dreading it. He swallows his pride and sits nervously while the woman covers his face with the foundation. When she is finished, she sets the make-up aside and brings over a mirror.

"Take a look," she tells him.

Kadaj looks into the mirror and is somewhat surprised. Although he is the same color, there is a glow and a new beauty to his face. He almost feels happy about the change.

"So, do you like it?" the woman asks eagerly, having never done a male's make-up before and curious about his reaction.

Kadaj smiles. "Thanks!" Sephiroth looks at Kadaj in surprise. "How much does it cost?"

"Seven gil each."

"We'll buy two," Sephiroth replies. He takes out his wallet and from it withdraws fourteen gil.

"Okay, thank you!" she tells them, accepting the gil and giving them the make-up. "Have a nice day!"

Kadaj carefully puts the make-up in his right pocket and follows Sephiroth outside. When they get back in the car, Sephiroth looks over at Kadaj and smiles happily.

"What is it?" Kadaj asks, curious about what could makes Sephiroth seem so happy.

"You just look pretty. That's all," Sephiroth tells him before starting the car. As he puts it in gear, he glances over to his right and sees Kadaj trying to hide a smile from him, and now begins to drive.

* * *

Tifa submerges a greasy kettle into the soapy water and rubs a sponge against it, fighting to get it clean. As she begins to win, she hears small footsteps approaching next to her, so she stops what she is doing and looks over her left shoulder to see the source. Standing there is Marlene with a coloring book in her hands.

"Tifa, where's Yazoo?" she asks. "I haven't seen him for a while."

"He went upstairs earlier because of . . . an incident. Just . . . don't bother him, okay, sweetie?" Tifa answers.

"An incident? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. He's just a little upset. That's all."

"Oh . . ."

There is a long pause, so Marlene turns and begins to exit the kitchen. As Tifa hears her leave, she says, "You know, maybe I should go check on him." Marlene stops. "Marlene, how about you stay down here and watch some cartoons while I go check on Yazoo, okay?" she tells her, drying her hands on a towel.

"I can't go?" Marlene whines.

"No. This is a grown-up problem."

Marlene huffs and heads back into the living room with her coloring book and flops back down onto the couch next to Denzel. Tifa walks past her and up the stairs, heading toward the door to Yazoo's room. She knocks on the door and awaits an answer. After a couple of seconds, the door opens, revealing Yazoo still looking upset on the other side.

"Yes?" Yazoo asks quietly.

"Yazoo, is it okay if I come in?"

Yazoo blinks. "O-okay." He steps aside and allows Tifa entrance. She sits on Kadaj's bed, so Yazoo sits on his and waits, wondering what Tifa seems to want to talk about.

"Yazoo, I'm sorry about what happened to you earlier. I know it was horrible, but the fact is . . . it's life. It happens a lot, unfortunately."

Yazoo looks downcast and says, "It's just . . . it reminded me of . . . being in that man's mansion. Don Corneo . . . that sick man . . . That was so horrible . . . "

"A . . . are you certain he was Don Corneo?" Tifa asks skeptically.

Yazoo looks at her questioningly. "Yes. That's what everyone called him. That and 'the Don'."

"Oh . . . "

"But . . . I couldn't let that happen to me again! I felt so violated . . . and defenseless . . . and ashamed . . . " he says lowly, embracing himself as the memories come back to him.

"Well, that certainly _**sounds**_ like Don Corneo." Tifa says, nearly in a whisper.

"Is there something else odd about this man?" Tifa looks up and sees Yazoo looking at her with curiosity.

"He . . . Don Corneo . . . is _**dead**_." Yazoo tilts his head and his mouth opens slightly. "Reno and Rude pushed him off of Mount Wutai two years ago. There's no way he could have survived that."

* * *

"I'll take you straight to that store now. It's almost time for Cloud to come get you," Sephiroth tells Kadaj while driving slowly.

"Already?" Kadaj asks in disappointment, discarding his ice cream wrapper in the car trash bag.

"You can come back tomorrow. I'll be glad to have you."

"Really?" he smiles. "I'll definitely be --uhng!" Kadaj's body locks up suddenly as excruciating pain fills his back. Sephiroth looks over at him and is alarmed, so he quickly pulls over the car and undoes his seat belt.

"Kadaj?! Are you alright?!" Sephiroth exclaims, putting a hand on Kadaj's left shoulder urgently.

"Uhng! Aaaah! Ooooow!! _**Oooowwww!!!**_" he cries, bending his upper body backwards.

Sephiroth jumps out of the car, runs over to Kadaj's side, and slings the door open. He unlatches Kadaj's seat belt and puts a hand on the side of Kadaj's face. "Kadaj, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"My . . . rash! On my . . . back!" Kadaj cries with his eyes squinted up in agony.

Sephiroth gently lifts Kadaj's small body and lays him across his shoulder. With his free hand, he opens the back door of the car and lays Kadaj on his stomach across the seats. He raises up the back of Kadaj's black T-shirt to see that the rash has spread from the center of his back up to his shoulder blades and down to his waist. He watches the rash bubble and crawl as Kadaj whimpers and cries out, fascinated. He recovers Kadaj's back, careful to not bump the dark purple rash, and frowns.

* * *

_Well, there's another chapter down! Only a few more to go! I hope you enjoyed that one! All ideas are welcome (and will be credited), as well as questions, suggestions, and comments_! _Thank you for reading and an extra thank you those of you who reviewed or are going to review! They are very much appreciated, as they make my work worthwhile. And I'm sorry if my chapter titles stink. I'm not too good at that . . .  
_

_**Next Chapter:** Vincent Valentine makes an appearance! Whooooooooooo!!!!!!!! Also, Yazoo tells Tifa how he escaped from Don Corneo. And it looks like Kadaj may be about to get into big trouble as well . . . _


	16. Caught

_Hello, lovely readers! I am now presenting you with the next chapter of "The Search for Avonej", thanks to the magic of the internet and this website! Thank you, internet and website, and thank you, readers, for reading my stories and making my effort worthwhile. And a special thanks also to my reviews, who are my readers who are able and willing to take time out of their busy lives to tell me how I am doing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and are able and willing to send a review! _

_Also, this story is not yaoi, yuri, shonen ai, or anything like that! Just a reminder! Just brotherly love!  
_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything of "Final Fantasy"._

**Chapter 16: Caught  
**

"Yes? It's been a while sine you last called me," Hojo says loudly into the phone.

"You know that medicine that can cure the rash that Xovenaj causes?" Sephiroth asks on the other end of the phone. "I've decided to use it." Hojo frowns suddenly. "I'll even use it on Yazoo if you insist. I'll do anything to save Kadaj."

Hojo swallows and falls silent. He breathes into the phone for a moment, afterward saying, "I'm sorry, Sephiroth, but I can't do that."

"W-why not?" Sephiroth asks, an expression of sadness manifesting on his face as he holds his black his cell phone to his left ear. "You said that you'd save him if I'd let you save Yazoo and get Loz injected safely."

"The deal's off. President Shinra won't allow me to help them anymore . . . or you, either, for that matter. I'm sorry, Sephiroth," Hojo hangs up the phone and strolls back into his lab.

Sephiroth puts his phone away and feels devastated. It has been three weeks since he and Kadaj had begun hanging out together, and they have bonded very closely. As he thinks about how unbearable it will be if Kadaj dies of his rash, he hears a knock on the door. He quickly straightens his hair and collects himself before opening it, revealing Kadaj smiling up at him on the other side. As Kadaj sees Sephiroth's troubled expression, his smile turns into a look of concern.

"Sephiroth? What's . . . what's wrong?" Kadaj questions, tilting his head slightly so that his hair falls out from in front of his right eye.

"N-nothing, Kadaj. It's nothing," Sephiroth answers, placing a hand on his own forehead. He removes it and forces a smile. "Come on in now."

Kadaj walks in and sits down on the couch. Sephiroth sits down next to him, surprising him, since he always sits in the chair across from him.

"Kadaj, what would you like to do today?" Sephiroth asks, taking Kadaj's bangs and placing them behind his ear.

"Well, I'd like for you to train me some more. Big Brother's still too busy with Yazoo to help me much," Kadaj answers. "And then I'd like one of your milkshakes."

Sephiroth smiles cheerfully. "Sure thing."

* * *

"Yazoo . . . how did you manage to escape from Don Corneo? There were a bunch of guys there, right?"

Yazoo looks at her and sighs. "Well, it wasn't exactly easy . . ."

* * *

**(Flashback) **

Yazoo was lying on a bed with blue covers, staring up hopelessly at the flat ceiling while wearing the horrid dress and dressy shoes he had been wearing since he first awoke. As he wallowed in his misery, he heard a woman's voice, and then Don Corneo's voice coming from the other side of the door. Curiously and boredly, he listened.

"'She''s a 'he', I tell you! I know! I dressed him!" the woman voice rings.

"I don't believe you! No man could be so beautiful! Or have such a great body! I just don't believe it!" Corneo argues.

"Now, why would I lie to you?! If you don't believe me, then go look for yourself!"

"Fine! I will!"

Suddenly the door was thrust open, frightening Yazoo enough to have sent up sitting straight up in the bed. Corneo ran up to him and pushed him back down and looked him in the eyes, admiring him. Yazoo looked at him in horror. Corneo grabbed the straps of Yazoo's dress and yanked them down far enough to see past his chest, revealing that Yazoo was indeed a man. Corneo was filled with sadness, disgust, and disappointment. Angrily, he grabbed Yazoo by the shoulders and threw him on the floor. "_**Get out now!**_" Yazoo pulled the dress up and ran toward the door. He clumsily opened the door and ran for the exit, dodging things that Corneo threw at him and blocking out the insults and angry words flung his way.

* * *

**(End of Flashback)**

"I ran for a long as I could to get as far away from that place as I could. Eventually, _**you**_ found me."

"I don't blame you. I remember when he kidnapped_** me**_. Cloud rescued me, though."

"He got you once, too?"

"Hmm hmm," she answers. "But, I think you're doing the right thing right now. By letting Cloud train you and getting you stronger, you can help keep things like that from happening. It certainly helps. I know my training has helped me a lot."

"Yeah. You're right." Yazoo smiles. "Thanks, Tifa."

"Of coarse." she smiles back.

* * *

"Come on. Faster! You have to be _**faster!**_" Sephiroth urges as Kadaj swings a rapier at him. Kadaj swings again in aggravation, but misses by what seems like a mile, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. "I'm over here now! Hurry up!"

"Uhg!" Kadaj groans while stopping. "This is too hard!"

"We don't have much time, Kadaj,"Sephiroth tells him. "I have to have you as good as before if you want to live!"

"What?" Kadaj asks, frightened.

"Because, otherwise, I'll give up on you and you'll go out and get hurt," Sephiroth smiles, jokingly, covering up his slip-up.

Kadaj smiles as well. "I'll get there. Just . . . I need a little more time. That's all."

"Kadaj . . . ," Sephiroth breathes gently while walking toward him. He pulls Kadaj into a tight hug, forcing Kadaj to rest the side of head on his chest while Sephiroth has his arms wrapped around him. "I want you to know something, Kadaj," he begins seriously. "I know that we really haven't been together for all that long, but . . . I also know that . . . I _**love**_ you." Kadaj is stunned by his words, but keeps listening. "And I'm not just saying that. I really feel close to you. And you make me feel so happy. I'm so glad every day when I open my door and see you standing there with tha smile on your face . . . "

"Seph . . . ?" Kadaj asks weakly, deeply touched by his words.

"I . . . I'm sorry," Sephiroth says quickly, recollecting himself and letting go of Kadaj. "Um, how about I help you on your aim?"

Kadaj smiles and replies with, "Alright," and follows him to the right.

* * *

An hour later, Tifa is preparing a meal in the kitchen for a customer. She pours a substance into the pan and straightens her body for a moment to get out of the uncomfortable position. She takes her wrist and wipes her forehead with it, removing some of the sweat acquired from her hard work.

"You look tired," Cloud comments, almost smiling, as he comes from what seems like nowhere.

"I'm fine. It's just a little busier today than usual," she answers, turning her head to look back at him.

"Well, that makes_** two**_ of us being busy," he informs. Tifa looks at him questioningly.

"You mean . . . training Yazoo some more?"

"No. I have an errand to run. It's all the way in Kalm. I have to leave in a few minutes to get back before dinner."

"Oh, I see . . ." Tifa returns to her cooking, the heat from the stove causing her to sweat even more. As she concentrates, her mind begins to wander and something hits her. "Cloud, if you're going to be gone and I'm busy here, who's going to pick up Kadaj?"

"I've already got that figured out. I called Vincent and he said he would do it."

"Can't you just pick him up on your way? I'd hate to trouble Vincent."

"It's probably better for Vincent than whatever he's doing right now. Besides, I really think this volunteer work is good for Kadaj."

"Okay. If you say so." Tifa hears Cloud leaving the room, so she adds, "Be careful!"

* * *

Vincent pulls up to the store hosting the volunteer work in a sleek, black car forty minutes early and parks. He exits the car and gos inside of the small convenience store to find that it is empty except for a slightly heavy woman with short, curly reddish hair in a yellow uniform standing behind the counter. Vincent walks up to her and she smiles, although intimidated, but politely tries to hide it.

"M-may I help you, sir?" the woman offers squeakily, looking into his eyes while one of her fingernails cleans out the other.

"Is this the store hosting the volunteer service?" his deep voice questions.

"Yes. Would you like to join?"

"No. I'm here to pick someone up early."

"Oh, alright. They're all out cleaning up the trash around the monument, so you'll have to wait a minute," she informs. "What's their name?"

"Kadaj."

The woman picks up the phone and dials a number. After a couple of seconds, she says, "Yes, is there someone with you named _**Kadaj**_? . . . . . . . can you check your roster? . . . . . . . . Are you sure? There's someone here needing to pick him up and he says they do volunteer work for you . . . . . . okay." The woman lowers the phone and looks back at Vincent. "The person in charge has never heard of a Kadaj and doesn't have that name on her roster. What does he or she look like?"

"_**He**_ has silver hair down his neck, green eyes," he lists and she repeats into the phone, "has fair skin, and is short . . . about five feet tall. And is a teenager."

". . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, thank you," the woman says and hangs up the phone. "He's not in the volunteer service, but we've both seen him in here about every day buying a snack," she tells him. "It sounds like you've got a delinquent."

Vincent's eyes narrow in anger as he realizes that he has lied to Cloud. "I'm sorry for the trouble, ma'am, but thanks for the help."

Vincent leaves the store and gets back into his car. He pulls out his newly-bought cell phone Yuffie helped him purchase and dials Kadaj's number, which Tifa had given him just in case something happened.

* * *

At Sephiroth's house, Kadaj and Sephiroth are sitting at the kitchen bar drinking Sephiroth's homemade strawberry milkshakes while Kadaj is laughing hysterically at something Sephiroth had said. Suddenly, Kadaj's phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket and answers it.

"H-hey, Yazoo," he pants faking exhaustion. " . . . . . . I'm fine. Just . . . exhausted from all this volunteer work." Sephiroth smiles at Kadaj and Kadaj smiles back. "Are you . . . helping Tifa? . . . . . . . . Aw, that's too bad . . . . . . Yeah, I love you, too," he says while rolling his eyes. Yazoo makes a kiss noise over the phone, so Kadaj makes a disgusted face. "Bye." He hangs up the phone and puts it on the bar before going back to his milkshake.

"So, how's Yazoo?" Sephiroth asks.

"Okay, it seems. He was just bored in his room," he answers while stirring his drink and staring down at it happily. "He apparently was attacked by some pervert or something at the restaurant." As the last word is said, the phone rings again. "I bet it's _**Loz**_ this time," Kadaj says while rolling his eyes again. He picks it up and checks the number. " . . . Hmm . . . I don't know this number."

"Just let it ring. It's probably a mistake," Sephiroth tells him. "So, Kadaj, are you still enjoying living with Cloud?"

"Yeah, even though he's strict and won't let me do _**anything**_," Kadaj says, nearly in a mumble.

"Doesn't sound very fun to me," Sephiroth comments. "By the way, how is your rash?"

"Pretty bad. It hasn't spread very much upward, but it sure has _**downward**_," he replies sadly.

"Meaning . . . ? How far down has it spread? And has it spread around to the front?"

"It hasn't spread to the front yet, but . . . it's spread down . . . ," he says, getting up and turning his back to Sephiroth, " . . . to here," he finishes, pointing just below his buttocks.

Sephiroth looks over at him in horror. "Kadaj . . . why won't you just let me bandage it?! No one's seen your rash, so they won't see your bandages!"

"But if they _**do**_ see them, they'll know someone's taking care of me!" Kadaj argues, now facing Sephiroth.

"And that someone doesn't have to be me! What makes you think they'll think it's me?!" Sephiroth sighs and says, "Kadaj, bandages will slow the spreading. You'll _**die**_ at this rate."

Kadaj's lower lip starts trimbling and his phone rings simultaneously. It is the same foreign number, so he answers it and yells, "What?! . . . . . . Huh? . . . . . . . . . . . Yeah, okay . . . . . . . . . . " Kadaj turns the phone off and drops it from his ear suddenly onto the floor with a shocked look on his face, causing a loud clatter. Sephiroth jumps out of his seat and goes to Kadaj's side.

"Kadaj? What happened?" Sephiroth asks in worry. No reply. Sephiroth places his hands on Kadaj's shoulders and crouches down to be more even with him and asks, "What's wrong, Kadaj?"

"He . . . he's gonna find out!" Kadaj says in horror, his eyes still and not focused on anything in particular. "If he finds out . . . !"

"Calm down, Kadaj," Sephiroth instructs in a calm voice. "Find out what? Whose going to find out what?"

"Ah . . . he went to the store with the volunteer work just now to pick me up early! Vincent! What if he just found out I'm not really doing the volunteer work?!" he explains, snapped out of his shock.

"Kadaj . . . don't panic. We'll think of something," Sephiroth assures.

"But he's waiting for me right now!"

"Kadaj," Sephiroth tells him, stroking his hair gently and affectionately. "just act natural and go along with it. Maybe they won't find out. Lie and tell them you were out cleaning up the street somewhere. If they see through that . . . just don't tell them the truth, no matter what."

"But, what if Big Brother spanks me?! My rash . . . !" Kadaj yells.

Sephiroth makes a face of both alarm and sympathy. "Maybe it's time he finds out about it. Yazoo's still alive. Maybe he can help you."

"Seph, what if . . . what if he finds out I'm not volunteering and . . . and . . . if he does . . . we won't be able to see each other anymore," Kadaj says as he begins to cry.

"Oh, Kadaj . . . ," Sephiroth says sadly, hugging him. "Don't cry."

"But . . . ! I love you so much!" he cries with his face buried in Sephiroth's shoulder while still sitting in the chair. "I couldn't bear not being able to see you anymore!"

"Everything's going to be fine. We can still see each other; we'll think of something," he assures, still embracing him. Kadaj sniffs and the two release one another. Sephiroth wipes the tears from Kadaj's eyes and says, "You'd better clean up. I think I would be best for you to walk the whole way this time. Just in case someone is looking for you. It would be bad if they spotted us riding together." Sephiroth stands up and turns away from Kadaj, heading toward the living room table to pick up the newspaper lying there.

"Okay," Kadaj says, slightly weakly, as he wipes a tear from his left eye. He follows Sephiroth into the living room and sits down on the couch. Once there, he digs in his pocket and pulls out his foundation. He opens it, revealing a mirror and a sponge, and carefully applies it to his face. Sephiroth takes a quick look from behind his paper and smiles.

"So, how does Cloud feel about you wearing make-up?" Sephiroth questions.

"Pretty upset," Kadaj replies. "Mostly at Yazoo, though. He thinks I'm just trying to be like him."

Sephiroth chuckles. "Do you think there's any chance he'd join us?"

"No way. Not after what you did to him," Kadaj tells him, some anger in his voice.

Sephiroth's smile vanishes and the room is silent for a moment. Sephiroth finally clears his throat and asks, "So, how's Loz?"

"Fine. No rash . . . no injuries from you . . . no spankings from Big Brother . . . "

"So he's a good boy?"

"Pretty much," he replies while rolling his eyes.

"Do you think _**he'll**_ join us?"

"I doubt it. He's awfully defensive over Yazoo." Kadaj closes his make-up and puts it back his pocket. He stands up and looks at Sephiroth and sighs. "Well . . . "

"You'd better be on your way. If you take any longer, they'll get suspicious."

"Y-yeah." Kadaj clenches his fists and lowers his head.

"Kadaj, don't cry. Or you _**will**_ get in trouble. It's time for you to go," Sephiroth tells him as he stands up. "You have to be strong."

Kadaj tries to say something, but is too weak; if he speaks, he will not be able to hold back the tears. He just stands there, tensely with his neck and eyes burning.

Sephiroth wraps his arms around Kadaj. "Call me. And be careful." He kisses him on the forehead, releases him, and Kadaj exits the house.

* * *

Vincent is leaning against his car with his arms crossed, full of boredom and angrily awaiting Kadaj's arrival. He finally sees Kadaj emerge from the store's doors, so he waits for him to walk up to the car.

"Get in," Vincent growls. Kadaj, ticked off by his attitude, glares at him and gets in on the passenger side of the vehicle. Vincent buckles himself and starts the engine, so Kadaj buckles and stares angrily out his window. The car goes into reverse, and begins driving in the opposite direction of home.

"Hey . . . this isn't the way home!" Kadaj exclaims irately. "Where do you think you're taking me?!"

"Why have you been lying to Cloud?" Vincent asks, seriously and intensely, ignoring Kadaj.

Kadaj makes a sour face at him and grunts, and now turns his face away from him and back toward the window.

"I talked to the people running the volunteer service. You're not on the roster. So what've you been up to?"

"Hmph! And _**why**_ should I tell _**you**_?!" Kadaj smarts-off, turning back towards Vincent.

"Would you rather say it to Cloud?"

"No! Big Brother's not going to find out!"

"You think you can stop me?" Vincent asks, looking over at Kadaj with his crimson eyes.

"You don't scare me," Kadaj scoffs.

"Well, you certainly don't scare me. You're nothing but a whiny little brat."

"**_Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!_**" Kadaj screams in aggravation. He grabs the sides of his head and tilts it downward in an attempt to try to keep from getting into a fight with Vincent, afraid of revealing the truth in his anger.

Vincent sighs, afraid he is going to throw one of his tantrums that Cloud has mentioned before. "Fine. We'll go home now. And you can face Cloud yourself."

When they arrive home, Kadaj stomps up the stairs, fuming, after gaining entrance from Tifa and enters his room with Yazoo. Tifa watches from the door, wondering why he is so upset.

Vincent looks at Tifa with deep seriousness in his eyes. "Tifa, do you mind if I stay here for a little while? I have something important I need to tell Cloud."

* * *

_Yay! Thank you for reading, and please send a review! It will be very much appreciated! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry, fellow Yazoo-lovers, that this story is becoming a lot about Kadaj. The way the story has shifted, it just kind of happened . . . but Yazoo is still very important! Fret not! Yazoo is coming back into the spotlight very soon! I promise!  
_

_All ideas are welcome and will be credited. All comments, questions, and suggestions are also welcome. _

_**Next Chapter:** Will Vincent tell Cloud that Kadaj has been lying to him? Will anything bad ever happen to Loz? You will just have to wait to read the next chapter of "The Search for Avonej" to find out! Coming soon!  
_

* * *


	17. Just a Remnant

_Oh! Hello, wonderful readers! Thank you for viewing! This is the next chapter of "The Search for Avonej"! Only about three chapters left (including an epilogue)! I hope you have enjoyed this story so far! I really appreciate all of the reviews and readers of this story. Thanks to all of you the encouragement, inspiration, and for making this worthwhile. By the way, please submit a review if possible. ^_^_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Final Fantasy"._

* * *

**Chapter 17: Just a Remnant  
**

"So, do you have everything with you today, Kadaj?" Cloud asks overbearingly as he parks Tifa's van in front of the store hosting the volunteer service. "Your phone, money, . . . ?"

"Yeah." Kadaj tells him as he unlatches his seat buckle.

"Okay, have fun. I'll pick you up in a few hours."

Kadaj smiles at Cloud and leaves the vehicle to head for the store. Once inside, he waits for Cloud to drive away before leaving for Sephiroth's house.

Cloud drives to the next block and pulls the car over. He takes his cellphone out of his pocket and dials Vincent's number and waits patiently. "Vincent? Do you see him?"

"Yeah, I've got a good view of him," Vincent replies on the other end of the phone, sitting atop a roof while watching Kadaj with binoculars. "Right now, he's just walking somewhere toward the slums."

"The slums?"

"I'll call you when I find out where he's going." Vincent hangs up the phone and crosses to the next rooftop in order to have a better visual of Kadaj.

A few minutes later, Kadaj arrives on Sephiroth's doorstep and knocks. Vincent watches closely with his binoculars. The door opens and Kadaj goes inside, but Vincent is unable to see who let Kadaj inside because of an overhanging over the door. Quickly, Vincent calls Cloud and waits for him to answer. "Cloud, I found where Kadaj is going."

"Where?!"

"It's a house just past the slums. On Tonberry Lane. It's the house with a dark green door and no shutters."

" . . . Thanks, Vincent." Cloud hangs up the phone and starts driving there right away.

* * *

"Okay, today, I want you to try throwing your sword at that target," Sephiroth informs, gesturing toward a bale of straw with a target painted in the center.

"Okay!" Kadaj holds the sword Sephiroth has loaned him for practice in his left hand and aims carefully. After a moment of concentration, he grunts quietly and throws the sword at the target, hitting the bale of straw just above the target. He growls and glares at it in frustration.

Sephiroth chuckles. "Good try, Kadaj. That was really close." He walks up to the target and pulls out the sword, and now hands it back to Kadaj. "Now watch me." Sephiroth aims and quickly throws his sword, hitting the target perfectly. As he goes to retrieve it, Kadaj sighs. "Now you try again."

". . . I don't really feel up to this right now," Kadaj says, sounding tired.

". . . Oh. Then, what _**do**_ you feel like doing?" Sephiroth asks, a bit surprised, since Kadaj is always eager to train.

"I don't know. Watch TV . . . ?"

"But, Kadaj . . . ! You can't get any stronger if you don't train!"

Kadaj just stares at the ground, and now over at the target. "Okay. How about we dodge each other's attacks again?"

"Sure."

Kadaj and Sephiroth get into their fighting stances and now charge at one another. Sephiroth takes the initiative by swinging at Kadaj, so Kadaj swiftly moves his sword to block the attacks. Unfortunately, Kadaj is not swift enough, and one of the swings hit Kadaj in the right shoulder.

"Ah!" Kadaj cries as his shoulder is sliced. They immediately stop sparring as they watch blood ooze from the wound.

"Kadaj!" Sephiroth says in alarm. He runs over to Kadaj and takes a look at his cut. "Kadaj, I'm sorry. We'll go back to using the fake swords next time."

"It's okay. It was just an accident," Kadaj grunts while still staring at his wound.

"Go inside and go to the bathroom. I'm going to put these swords up and I'll be right in there to clean it for you, okay?"

Kadaj walks into the house and over to the kitchen bar. He picks up his glass of milkshake and takes a drink, and as he sits it down, all the color from his face fades away. His heart beats so hard his breath is almost all taken away. He is shacking all over, but he manages to back up into the counter in front of the small window. He is trapped.

"What are you doing here, Kadaj?" Cloud asks firmly, glaring at Kadaj from across the room.

"A . . . Ah . . . . I . . . " Kadaj stutters, too afraid to speak.

The back door opens and Sephiroth enters the room. His eyes grow wide as he spots Cloud standing before him. "Cloud . . . ?"

Cloud is stunned. Kadaj has been going to Sephiroth's house? How can this be? He stands there, not able to believe what he is seeing.

"Kadaj, please tell me this isn't true. Please tell me that that isn't really Sephiroth." Cloud requests in an angry shock.

Kadaj is still unable to speak. "It is me," Sephiroth steps in. "But don't be angry at Kadaj. He's been a good boy."

"Kadaj, what is going on?! Why are you here with Sephiroth?!" Cloud demands.

"I . . . I . . . !" Kadaj trembles, nearing tears.

"Answer me!"

"It's because he needed a better brother," Sephiroth butts-in again. "One that would actually work hard with him and try to relate himself to him, instead of constantly scolding him for every bad thing he does and acting all high-and-mighty toward him!"

"I'm not talking to you! I'm talking to Kadaj!" Cloud yells. "Now answer me!"

"You don't have to answer him, Kadaj. You can just stay here with me."

"You stay out of this! Now get over here, Kadaj!"

"He needs me to bandage his wound if you don't mind."

"Get over here right now!"

"Oh, so you don't care?"

"Kadaj!"

Kadaj covers his face with his hands.

"Hmph. I don't blame him. I wouldn't go to someone who was yelling at me like that, either."

"Right now, Kadaj! Get over here!"

Kadaj still does not budge. "Leave him alone, Cloud. He obviously wants to stay here with me."

Cloud stomps over to Kadaj, grabs him roughly by the left arm, and jerks him over to him. Kadaj starts to cry, but Cloud is no less harsh. "How _**dare**_ you turn him against me like this!" Cloud yells to Sephiroth, and now turns back to Kadaj. "Kadaj, he doesn't care about you at all! He only wants to use you to get back at me!"

"What is it, Cloud? Are you jealous?" Sephiroth smirks.

"I can't belive you've been coming here! With that monster! After all he's done to all those people, and especially to Yazoo . . . you're brother! How could you do such a thing?! And how could you lie to me?!"

Kadaj sobbs, scared and unsure what to do. He loves both Cloud and Sephiroth. How can he choose one over the other?

"Well, maybe my belt to your hind-end will convince you to answer me when we get home."

"You don't understand!" Kadaj cries suddenly. Cloud stares at him curiously. "I love Sephiroth, and he loves me! Just like me and you! I can't just leave him forever!"

"No he doesn't! He's only using you!" Cloud tells him. "Whatever he did to make you think that was just a trick!"

"That's not true!" Kadaj argues. "You don't know! You think you know everything, but you don't!"

Cloud is now fed up with Kadaj. He takes him by the arm again and starts stomping toward the door. "Come on, Kadaj. We're going home," he growls through gritted teeth.

Kadaj continues to weep as he is pulled out of Sephiroth's house. He does not look back, and Sephiroth is watching angrilly. Once Cloud slams the door shut behind them, Sephiroth sits down in his chair to think.

Cloud slings Kadaj into the passenger seat of the van and slams the door shut. Kadaj leans over so that his face is nearly touching his knees and sobs into his hands. He hears Cloud jump into his seat and slam his door, so Kadaj sniffs and quietens his crying. Cloud starts the engine and begins driving roughly.

"Kadaj, you've really done it now," Cloud tells him fiercely while staring at the road ahead. "If you thought your punishments before were bad, you're going to think this one is _**torture**_."

"What's the big deal?!" Kadaj cries in anger, looking over at Cloud without raising up. "Why can't I be with Sephiroth?! Just because you hate him?! Just because he's done bad things?!" Cloud's driving speeds up. "No one's perfect! We all do bad things! Even _**you**_!"

"Don't you _**dare**_ try to justify his actions!" Cloud warns. "You've been brainwashed!"

"That's not true!"

"Just shut your mouth! I'm sick of listening to you!"

Kadaj goes silent. He recovers his face with his hands and pulls at the hair hanging over his face, upset to the maximum extent. He continues to sob, fearing his punishment and wishing that Cloud would understand he and Sephiroth's relationship.

* * *

"Tifa, do you know where the blue crayon is?" Marlene asks. She is sitting at the kitchen table, coloring in a coloring book with Loz, Yazoo, and Denzel.

"No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen it, sweetie," Tifa apologizes as she places a vase of orange roses on the counter.

"Hey, does anyone know where Cloud is?" Denzel questions, and now glances around at everyone in the room, waiting for a reply.

"He went to take Kadaj to that volunteer . . . thing," Yazoo tells him.

"That's right . . . ," Tifa says ponderously, having forgotten it, and now facing everyone else. "He's running late. I hope everything's alright . . . "

"Maybe he's buying ice cream!" Marlene cheers.

"Hmm . .. well, we are running low on potatoes, too . . . maybe he's shopping . . . ?"

"Hey, I think I hear a car outside!" Loz announces.

Tifa looks out the window over the sink and spots her van. "It's him!" She turns to face everyone again. "I'll be right back!"

Tifa runs out of the house and watches Cloud get out of the van as she approaches. He goes over to Kadaj's door and jerks him out of the van and onto his knees on the ground. Tifa walks up to him worriedly.

"Is everything okay, Cloud?" she asks.

"Tifa, make everyone go to their rooms," Cloud instructs. "I don't want the kids to know about what's going to happen."

Tifa's face manifests a look of fear. She looks at Kadaj, and now at Cloud, wondering what Cloud intends to do with Kadaj. "What's . . . going to happen?"

"I'm going to have to teach Kadaj what happens to traitors," Cloud answers grimly.

"What?

"He's been staying with Sephiroth, not doing volunteer service. Vincent and I caught him." Cloud turns his attention from Kadaj to Tifa, who looks shocked. "Tifa, go in the house."

Tifa looks at Kadaj angrily and goes to the house as she was instructed.

Cloud grabs Kadaj by the arm and takes him with him closer to the house, away from the road. Cloud releases him roughly and stares hard at him. Kadaj looks up at him sadly, dreading his punishment and hating what is happening. Cloud slaps him across the left side of his face. Kadaj, in pain, glares at Cloud and attacks him. Cloud shoves him off, grabs a walking stick from off of the ground that Denzel hs found earlier, and starts beating Kadaj with it. Kadaj is knocked on his knees on the ground, so Cloud starts hitting him in the back with it. Kadaj screams from the pain, even after only a few hits. Cloud continues hitting him until Kadaj begs for Cloud to stop, only after a few more hits. Wondering why the attack is hurting Kadaj so much, Cloud lifts Kadaj's shirt in the back while Kadaj is lying prostrate on the grass and discovers Kadaj's rash. Cloud is shocked.

"He gave you the rash . . . and you still love him?" Cloud asks, unable to understand Kadaj.

"No!" Kadaj grunts. "Xovenaj did! Sephiroth saved me!"

"You're lying."

"No I'm not! I was beat up in the slums when I left home to looks for Yazoo and Xovenaj touched me!" Kadaj cries. "Sephiroth saved me!"

"Is that when you were **_brainwashed _**into loving Sephiroth?"

Kadaj grunts as he rises. "No, I **_wasn't_** **_brainwashed!_** You just don't understand!"

"You're right about that!"

"I never meant to hurt you or go against you, Big Brother! It's just . . . I just . . . ! I'm just a remnant!" Kadaj sobs into the palms of his hands as he finishes his last word.

Cloud remains firm. "I know you are, but that's no excuse! Loz and Yazoo don't feel the way you do!"

"That's because he _**hurt**_ Yazoo!"

"Then you don't love Yazoo! You know just as well as Loz does what Sephiroth did, yet you love Sephiroth!"

Kadaj becomes silent. He loves Yazoo dearly and hates what happened to him, yet he loves Sephiroth as well. He thinks about Cloud's words and feels guilty.

_**Whack!!!**_ Kadaj is kicked in the back, sending him falling forward onto the ground. As he tries to rise, a foot is placed on his back to hold him down.

"Is it true . . . that you've been with Sephiroth?" a sad. angry, and quiet voice interrogates.

Kadaj turns his neck and sees that Yazoo had asked him the question and is the one pinning him on the ground.

"Well?" he presses.

". . . Yes," Kadaj admits.

Yazoo remains silent for a moment, hurt and having a hard time that his own brother would do something to hurt him like this. "You've been staying with him as a friend, not a spy?"

"No . . . as a . . . brother," Kadaj sadly replies, feeling that Yazoo should know the truth, even though the truth will pierce his heart.

A tear falls down Yazoo's cheek as he stares down at his younger brother. His heart feeling as if it is splintering into pieces, he removes his foot from Kadaj's back and begins kicking him in the left ribs. Kadaj cries out with every hit as Yazoo kicks harshly with his teeth gritted. After several hits, Cloud decides to intervene.

"Yazoo, that's enough." Yazoo does not obey. "Yazoo, stop!" Cloud grabs Yazoo's arms from behind and drags him away from Kadaj.

"I **_hate_** you, Kadaj! I _**hate**_ you!" Yazoo cries. He jerks himself out of Cloud's grasp and runs to the house, passing loz, who is walking toward the scene.

"_**You . . . **_," he says with deep anger as he approaches Kadaj. Kadaj does not budge; he is too weak to try to escape his punishment. "How could you do this?! You're supposed to be the leader, yet you lie to us and join the enemy?!" Loz is standing beside of his youngest brother, looking down at him with his fists clenched. "Don't you at least care enough about Yazoo to hate Sephiroth, if not for other reasons?! His heart is broken! How could you choose some evil guy who couldn't care less about any of us over your own real brothers?!"

Kadaj is weeping, feeling horrible about hurting Yazoo. "I'm s-sorry. I'm sorry . . . f-for hur-hurting Yazoo!" he cries. "But . . . I love S-Sephir-iroth, too!"

"You can't love Yazoo if you love Sephiroth! You can't possibly love someone who has hurt someone you love the way Sephiroth did! If you love Sephiroth, then you are our enemy!"

Kadaj stands up and gives Loz the meanest look he possibly can. "Then we're enemies!"

"You would give up your family for that evil piece of trash?! Fine! See where that gets you! I guess we'll become whole without you!" As Loz turns away toward the house, his eyes fill up with tears. He has lost his brother.

Cloud walks up to Kadaj from behind and ties his wrists together. Kadaj looks downcast and allows Cloud to escort him into the house. He takes him straight to the lower-floor bathroom, ties a rope around his arms and torso, and locks him inside.

* * *

That night, Kadaj is sitting leaned against the white porcelain bathtub, bored and depressed. As he stares at the white sink in front of him, he gets an idea. He lies down on his back on the tan linoleum floor, scoots up against the sink, and puts his legs in the air. He scoots until he is almost lying on his head, and his black pocket knife tumbles out of his pocket and onto the floor. He scoot himself over to it and grabs it with his right hand, opens it skillfully, and carefully cuts the rope binding his wrists. Now that his wrists are free, he cuts the rope around his arms and torso, and puts his knife away. Now free, Kadaj opens the window and leaves.

Kadaj runs though the dark city in the rain and to the slums, in pain the whole way from his beating and his rash. As he comes to the corner where Sephiroth lives, he falls on his knees, too hurt and tired to walk anymore. Desperately, he drags and crawls through the downpour until he gets to Sephiroth's door. Upon arrival, he manages to knock on the lower part of the door. After a few seconds, the door is answered by Sephiroth.

"Kadaj?" Sephiroth is surprised. He leans down to Kadaj and watches him as tears start to accompany the rain on his face. "Let's get you inside."

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review if possible! They are really helpful! I hope you liked this chapter! If not, you can tell me what you didn't like in the review._

_**Next Chapter:** Loz disappears and Yazoo is very troubled. Also, it looks like Tseng and Elena are up to no good!_

* * *


	18. Revenge

_Hello, dearest readers! I am here to present with you Chapter 18 of __The Search for Avonej! I hope you are enjoying this! Only two chapters to go, I am pretty sure! Please read and review, as always. It is very much appreciated and is very helpful!  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything of __Final Fantasy or PlayStation._

* * *

**Chapter 18: Revenge  
**

It has been two weeks since Kadaj left. Wanting to forget the pain and continue, Cloud dropped Loz and Yazoo off at an indoor pool to relax and have some fun.

"The water feels so nice . . . it's been a long time since we've gone swimming," Yazoo says quietly, sitting in the pool with his back leaned against the pool wall and his eyes shut in relaxation.

"Yeah. This was a good idea," Loz agrees, pausing from his swimming for a moment. "It's good to just forget about everything for a little while and just take it easy."

As Yazoo sighs dreamily, he hears his cell phone ring from lying on his towel outside of the water. He now sighs in frustration and climbs out of the pool with help from the ladder, revealing his soaking wet light green muscle shirt and matching swimming trucks. He quickly dries his hands on his towel and picks up the phone. Kadaj's cell phone number is showing.

"Loz, it's Kadaj," Yazoo informs, unsure what to do.

Loz looks at him in surprise. "Kadaj?" He thinks for a quick moment. "Answer it. Just in case . . . "

Yazoo answers. "Hmm? . . . . . . . . . . . . Oh, really? . . . . . . . . . . _**Riiiiight**_ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How stupid do you think I am? . . . . . . Of coarse I don't believe you!" Yazoo hangs up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Loz questions.

"Hmph. He says he was _**kidnapped**_ and needs up to rescue him. Like I'm dumb enough to fall for a trick like that!" He sets the phone back down. "If he's in so much trouble, why doesn't his 'beloved, ultra-powerful Sephiroth' come to save him?"

"Yeah. What an idiot." Loz thinks about Kadaj for a moment. Beginning to feel sad, he decides to change the subject. "Hey, while you're out, how about we go get some drinks? I'm thirsty."

"Sure."

Loz steps out of the pool. "Hey, how about you stay here and I go get them? You can make sure no one gets our stuff."

"Okay."

Loz leaves the pool room, so Yazoo sits on his towl to wait. He lifts his cell phone and looks at Kadaj's number, thinking about the call. Not wanting to worry any more, he finds a game on his cell phone and begins playing it.

Fifteen minutes pass and Loz has still not returned. Yazoo turns off his game, closes his phone, and gets up. He glances around the pool room, hoping that Loz walked by him without him knowing. No Loz. Worried, Yazoo wraps his towel around himself and carries his phone with him to go look for Loz.

Yazoo strolls into the concession area, hoping to find his brother waiting in a horribly long, slow line, but sees no sign of him. He quickly leaves the room and heads for the restrooms. He walks inside and does not see him. "Loz, are you in here?" he calls, hoping he is using a stall. No answer. Frightened, Yazoo runs out of the restroom and goes back into the pool room. He stands next to Loz's towel to keep an eye on it and dials Cloud's number. After several rings, no one has picked up yet. "Oh, come on! _**Please**_ pick up!" he pleads.

"Hello?" Cloud finally answers on the other side of the phone.

"Big Brother!" Yazoo exclaims slightly. "I'm sorry to bother you, but . . . . Loz went to get us some drinks and I can't find him anywhere! He's been gone for over fifteen minutes!"

"He's gone? Have you looked for him?"

"Yes. I can't find him anywhere. I checked the food place _**and**_ the restroom!"

"Did you try calling him?"

". . . . No."

"Try that. Call me back after you do."

Cloud hangs up the phone, so Yazoo dials Loz's number, having been too worried to think to try that before. He puts the phone to his ear and waits. No one picks up, but the message telling him to leave a message comes on. "Loz, it's me, Yazoo. Where are you? I've been waiting for you for a long time now. This isn't funny. I've already called Big Brother. Now get back here right now!" Yazoo hangs up and calls Cloud again.

"Yazoo?"

"I called him and he didn't answer. I left a message, though."

" . . . I'll be right over in a few minutes. Just stay where you are."

"Okay."

Cloud and Yazoo hang up, so Yazoo sits down on his towel and waits anxiously.

* * *

"Hey! Ugh! Let go of me!" Loz shouts. Shinra police are holding onto both of his muscular arms, transporting him from the vehicle to Healin Lodge. Loz struggles and threatens, and finally breaks free. As he attacks two of the police, knocking them unconscious, another policeman shoots him in the back with a knock-out dart. Slowly, Loz's world goes black and he collapses on the concrete ground.

* * *

Yazoo looks over his shoulder from gazing at the pool and spots Cloud enter the room. Yazoo gets to his feet and awaits Cloud's instructions.

"He still hasn't come back?" Cloud questions.

"No," Yazoo replies.

"Let's go look around. Just to make sure you didn't over-look him."

Cloud grabs Loz's things and, with Yazoo, searches the entire building, and still finds no sign of Loz. When finished, they exit and get into Tifa's van.

"Where are we going now?" Yazoo asks, getting into the passenger's seat.

"We're going to drive around town for any signs of him. If we still don't find him . . . we'll just have to go home."

"But . . . ! Can't we do_** something**_? Like, posters?"

"If he's not back by morning."

Cloud starts up the van and they drive through the town. Yazoo observes the town through his window thoroughly, but sees Loz nowhere.

"I'm sorry, Yazoo. I really am. I know how much you love him, and how much you need him, with Kadaj gone and everything," Cloud says to him sadly. "Maybe he'll show up in the morning."

". . . Yes."

"We can go put out posters and look some more after your doctor's appointment. We won't give up."

Cloud drives the two of them home, where they find Tifa and Denzel playing Hang Man in the living room. They look up and smile, happy to see Cloud and Yazoo home.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Tifa apologizes. "I don't have dinner ready yet. I wasn't expecting you this early."

"Hey, where's Loz?" Denzel interrupts.

"He's . . . something happened." Cloud informs.

"What?" Tifa asks, sensing something bad.

"We can't find Loz anywhere. He just disappeared. We searched all over town."

Yazoo looks downcast for a moment and turns his face away. As Cloud explains the situation to Tifa, Yazoo slips out of the room and up the stairs. He enters his room and flops down on his bed to relax, but it is futile; he cannot stop thinking and worrying about Loz. As he suffers from his loneliness, he eventually falls asleep.

* * *

"Yazoo, are you still asleep?!" a sweet voice calls, awakening Yazoo from his peaceful slumber. He looks towards the doorway and sees Marlene standing there, her hands on her hips in a bossy manner. "You have to get ready! You overslept and you have to go to the doctor in less than an hour!"

Yazoo looks over at the window and sees that it is morning. He sits up and also notices that he had slept in yesterday's clothing. Hastily, he picks an outfit and runs to the bathroom to get ready.

Yazoo manages to wash his hair in five minutes, allowing him to get ready in enough time to eat something. He rushes down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Tifa hands him a plate with an egg, a hash brown, and sausage links. He brings it over to the table and gets it down his throat as soon as possible.

"Hey, slow down! You'll make yourself sick!" Tifa tells him.

"Are you about ready?" Cloud asks Yazoo as he walks into the room.

"Mm hm," Yazoo replies, as he finishes his egg.

"Alright. Finish that and we'll go."

* * *

In the waiting room of the doctor's office, Yazoo is sitting next to Cloud in a chair, staring downward to the hard floor while picking at his fingernails nervously. Cloud, however, is occupying himself by reading a magazine about men's fitness. As Cloud turns to the next page, he glances up from his reading and notices Yazoo. He lowers the magazine to his lap and clears his throat.

"Yazoo, I'm sorry I didn't have the time to look for Loz before we left," Cloud apologizes. "As soon as we get out of here, we'll search for him some more and put posters around the city, alright?"

"Alright," Yazoo sighs quietly, still staring at the floor. "I'm just . . . . worried about him."

"I'm sure he's fine. He's strong and can take care of himself."

"I suppose so . . . " Yazoo leans his head back and slouches in his seat, his mind worried and bored. As he sighs, a nurse steps into the room and calls his name. He rises from his seat and follows Cloud to the room to which the nurse leads them. Once inside, they await the doctor.

"Why, hello, Yazoo," the doctor says in a friendly manner as he enters the room and shuts the door behind him. "How have you been?"

"Alright, I suppose."

"Well, that's good." The doctor now turns his attention to his clipboard to write some information. "So . . . how is your condition? Are you doing better . . . ? Worse? The same?"

"Better."

"That's good." He writes a line of information on a page on his clipboard. "Well, I want to run some tests on you to be sure that you are healing, and to make sure that you are not currently in any danger of getting worse." The doctor stands and gestures to Yazoo. "Come with me." He now turns to Cloud. "Would you please wait in here?" Cloud nods, and the doctor and Yazoo exit the room.

The doctor leads Yazoo down the hall and into a room filled with machines. "Please lie down there," the doctor instructs, pointing to a small, black bed. Yazoo does as the doctor says, but dreads what may be about to happen.

"You looks awfully nervous," the doctor observes. "Why don't you just shut your eyes for a moment, hmm? That should relax you."

Yazoo shuts his eyes, hoping that the doctor is correct. After about four seconds, he feels something cover his mouth, so he immediately opens his eyes and to see that the doctor has covered his mouth with duct tape. Although surprised, he kicks the doctor, sending him falling backwards on the floor. Yazoo tries to remove the duct tape, but before he can do so, some Shinra police appear from the back door of the room and grab his arms. Yazoo fights as hard as he can and manages to rise to a sitting position, so the police pull his arms behind his back and handcuff him. Before he can react, his ankles are tied together with a rope. He stares angrily ahead at his doctor.

"Aw, poor Yazoo! What's he going to do now? Call for his brothers for help?" the doctor teases. "Oh, that's right! I've already kidnapped his brothers! There goes that plan!" He laughs and Yazoo looks at him in shock, realizing now what had happened to Loz and Kadaj. "Well, then, I guess you'll just have to come with me! I'll be gentle. Don't worry. I wouldn't want to hurt such a wonderful specimen!" The doctor pulls off his disguise, revealing Professor Hojo. "That's right! It's me, Hojo! Sephiroth's father!"

Yazoo stares at him, horrified. He has heard many stories and rumors about this man since he started living with Cloud. Stories about his experiments and twisted wrong-doings. He fears that he may be his next victim. Unfortunately, Yazoo feels defenseless, tied up and surrounded, so all he can do is accept what is going to happen.

"Well, then, I guess we'd better get going," Hojo says. "Let's go." A Shinra policeman picks up Yazoo and throws him over his right shoulder and follows Hojo out the back door, along with the other police.

* * *

Half an hour later, Yazoo is transported by the Shinra police into the same building they escorted Loz. Yazoo struggles, but is still easily lead inside and through hallways until they reach a room with prison-like cells inside. One of the policemen following takes a key and opens the cell, allowing the others to throw Yazoo inside. Immediately, the policeman locks the cell again and all the police leave. Angry, Yazoo begins kicking the cell door, hoping it will open.

"It's no use," a familiar voice from behind him informs. "I've tried that already."

Yazoo gets on his knees and turns toward the voice, and sees that its owner is Kadaj. Kadaj is sitting in the left corner of the cell, leaning back against the tan-colored rock wall. He smiles at Yazoo, so Yazoo scowls. As he looks away from him, he notices Loz lying prostrate on the floor on the right side of the cell, his wrists tied behind his back and his ankles tied together, just like Kadaj's and Yazoo's.

"Loz?" Yazoo asks, crawling up to his side. He gets no response, so he turns Loz's face towards him. "Loz?"

"He's unconscious. He was like that when they brought him in here," Kadaj tells him.

"H-how long ago was that?"

"About a couple of hours." Kadaj sighs and averts his gaze to the ceiling. "It must have been some powerful stuff."

Yazoo makes himself as comfortable as he can manage next to his older brother, away from Kadaj. After a few moments of silence, Yazoo asks, "Kadaj, this is why you called me, isn't it? Because you got brought here?"

"Hmph. That's right," he answers smoothly.

". . . . How . . . did you get here?"

"Well, I was playing _Final Fantasy VIII_ on Seph's PlayStation, some Shinra police suddenly kicked the door down. Seph was at the laundry mat, so I was left alone. I got up to defend myself, but my sword was in the other room and I couldn't take all of them at once. So . . . "

". . . . You don't know why we're here?" Yazoo questions.

"No. Not exactly. But . . . Sephiroth will come save me! I called him on my phone!"

"What? They took _**my**_ phone!" Yazoo complains.

"Well, you should have hidden it better."

"Hmph. The time has finally come." Kadaj and Yazoo look to the outside of the cell and see Tseng walk into the room, and now Elena. They walk up to their cell and smile evilly at the three as they stop in front of the door.

"Huh? Whazz eh, Teddy?!" Loz yells as he awakens and rolls until he gets on his knees.

Elena burst with laughter upon hearing Loz, so Tseng glares at her.

"I'm s-sorry!" she continues laughing. "Whazz eh . . . _**Teddy**_?! Ahahahaahaaaaaa!!!!"

"Elena! This is serious!" Tseng shouts, angry. "This is time for us to get our revenge!"

"Reven . . . who ga?" Loz mumbles again.

Elena laughs again, so Tseng grits his teeth. "Revenge! For torturing us in Northern Crater, remember?!"

"That's right, so . . . ahahahahaaaaaaa!!!" Elena chuckles, unable to stop thinking about what Loz had been saying.

"But that was _**our**_ revenge against _**you**_! For stealing our mother!" Kadaj argues, getting to his feet angrily.

"Oh, is the little remnant upset about getting punished? Perhaps your mother should have taught you violence is not an answer!" Tseng taunts. "You tortured us, so now we're going to torture _**you**_!"

Kadaj glares at Tseng through the steel bars of his cell. Tseng smiles at Kadaj, knowing he cannot win against him while tied up. He turns his gaze to Elena, who is still smiling.

"Elena, be serious for a moment," Tseng requests. "Now, to whom do you think we should teach a lesson first?"

"How about the funny one?" Elena suggests.

"Agreed." Tseng opens the cell door and pushes Kadaj onto the floor, making him no longer in his way. He grabs Loz by the shoulder and begins dragging him out of the cell as Yazoo and Kadaj stare in anger.

"Uraga! . . . Huh?" Loz looks up to see Tseng dragging him out of the cell, his mind now clear. "Hey! You're not Teddy!" Loz yells, irritated.

Tseng finishes getting Loz out of the cell and locks the door again. He roughly slings Loz onto the floor on his side and kicks him in the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain. As he kicks him in the ribs, Elena joins in by kicking him in the back of his legs with her high-heels. Loz manages to kick Elena as she attempts to kick him and throws himself on his knees. Before he can get to his feet, Tseng punches him in the face, knocking him back onto the floor.

"Loz!" Yazoo yells, unable to bear watching his brother get beaten so badly and unfairly. He turns his face away as the two Turks continue to attack him. After a few more moments of hitting, Tseng kicks Loz aside and stops.

"Let's not spend all of our energy on him. We have two more to make pay," Tseng tells Elena.

"And then later, we can beat them some more?" Elena asks.

"Of coarse."

Tseng opens the cell again and grabs Yazoo by his hair. Yazoo squeals as he is drug by his hair out of the cell, and Kadaj, once again, can only watch in horror. Tseng locks the cell again and beats Yazoo alongside Elena. As they hurt him, he moans in pain and keeps his face turned away, hoping his face will not be damaged. As he wimpers and his eyes water, Elena kicks him aside.

"Time for the short one!" Elena cheers.

Tseng, once again, enters the cell and grabs Kadaj by the ankle and drags him out. They beat him for a few minutes and laugh as they tease and taunt him, trying to make him feel the pain they felt when he tortured them, which was worse than the torture his brothers gave them. As he is kicked in the stomach for the fifth time, Tseng suddenly crashes onto the floor. Kadaj notices this and no longer feels Elena's annoying high-heels, so he looks up through his tears and sees Sephiroth standing beside of him.

"Se . . . S . . . Seph --," Kadaj wheezes.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Kadaj," Sephiroth apologizes. He turns to look at Tseng and Elena, who are slowly rising from the floor. They look at him with horror in their eyes, and now run down the hall as quickly as possible.

Sephiroth unties Kadaj's bindings and helps him to his feet, and now hugs him. Yazoo watches in fear and sadness, afraid of what Sephiroth might do next, and still hurt that his brother loves him over himself. Loz notices Yazoo's reaction and also watches the two, angry, but too injured to attack.

"Are you alright?" a voice asks from behind Loz and Yazoo. They turn to look and see that Cloud is standing there with his sword in his hand. He looks past Loz and Yazoo and spots Sephiroth embraces Kadaj. "You . . . "

"We were both late," Sephiroth tells him, Kadaj's face buried in his chest. " . . . but at least we came before they were hurt any worse . . . or killed."

"W-we could ha-have won if . . . if we were wh-whole!" Kadaj sobs, his voice so muffled that only Sephiroth can understand him.

"I know, Kadaj." Sephiroth comforts, patting him on the back gently.

Cloud unties Loz and Yazoo, trying to block out the conversation, it sickening him. He first helps Loz up, and now Yazoo.

"Thank you, Big Brother," Yazoo tells him weakly.

"Yeah," Loz adds.

"Kadaj, you really want to become whole . . . right?" Sephiroth questions.

"Yes," he answers.

"Then . . . I want you to go back to your brothers."

Kadaj looks up at Sephiroth in shock. "_**What**_?"

Cloud, Loz, and Yazoo look back over at the two curiously. Sephiroth places one of his hands on the right side of Kadaj's face gently. "You wouldn't want to become whole by yourself . . . would you?"

"Well, not really, but . . . ! Sephiroth, I don't want to leave you! Why can't you just come with us?!" Kadaj pleads.

"I'm sorry, Kadaj. I wasn't meant to lead you to becoming whole."

"But . . . !"

"But maybe after you become whole, I'll come see you sometimes, okay?"

"Sephiroth!" Kadaj wraps his arms around him and squeezes him tightly. "I love you! This isn't fair!"

"Kadaj . . . "

"I don't want to leave you!"

" . . . Kadaj, surprise me." Kadaj listens closely, wondering what he means. "I want to see you after you become whole."

" . . . okay." Kadaj lets go, but does not walk away.

"Go on now. Go with your brothers." Sephiroth smiles at him, and puts something in Kadaj's pocket. "I love you."

Kadaj lowers his head so that his eyes are covered by his hair, and walks down the hall to where Loz, Yazoo, and Cloud are standing. Sephiroth leaves.

"Hmph. Do you actually think we'll let you come back?!" Loz snaps.

". . . I'm sorry," Kadaj sniffs.

"'I'm sorry'?!" Yazoo scoffs. "It's going to take more than that to-"

Yazoo stops as Kadaj pulls something out of his pocket and holds it up so that he can see it. A vial of Jenova Cells.

"Jenova Cells . . . ?" Cloud asks, surprised.

"That's right. Sephiroth gave them to me so that we can be whole again!" Kadaj explains. "And you can't have them unless you forgive me!"

"That's good enough for me!" Loz cheers.

"What?" Yazoo asks, unbelieving. "You think a small apology and a vial of Mother's Cells are enough to make me forgive you?! After you betrayed me like that?!"

"What do you want me to do, kiss you?!" Kadaj complains.

"Of coarse not!"

"Then it's settled. I'm back in the family."

"But you're only doing this for yourself and Sephiroth," Cloud butts-in.

Kadaj looks at him in surprise. "No . . . that's not all. I really am sorry. And . . . I've really missed everybody."

"Kadaj . . . are you really sorry?" Yazoo asks.

"Yes! Yes, I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?!"

". . . Sephiroth . . . it seems like Sephiroth was good to you . . . and . . . so . . . it makes me happy that he was good to you . . . "

Kadaj hugs Yazoo. "Yazoo, I really am sorry."

Yazoo snaps out of his shock from being hugged by Kadaj, and returns the embrace. "I forgive you."

After a moment, the two let go of one another, and Kadaj wipes his few tears away.

"That's better," Cloud says. "Let's go home. All of us."

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_Whew! Only two chapters to go! This has been a long story . . . I hope you have enjoyed it!_

_Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review if possible. It would be very much appreciated._

**Next chapter**: _Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Cloud search for Avonej! Will they find this child? And will he make them whole? Or is all of this too good to be true?_

_I'm having some writer's block right now on chapter 19. I'll get it done ASAP.  
_

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